Courage In Crisis
by orchidork
Summary: Edward stared at me in terror. “Bella, get out of the way! Get out of the car or drive! No, Bella, don’t sit there. Move! Please.” I stared at the tank that would hit me any second. I tried to move but my arms and legs were frozen. rated T for safety. R
1. Chapter 1 the beginning

**this is a AU story about Bella meeting Edward in the midst of a crisis. it's a story about survival when Bella has nothing but a mysterious boy with her. read and review.**

**Disclaimer – all of the characters except for the ones I added belong to Stephenie Meyer, so does Twilight, New Moon, and the upcoming Eclipse.**

"Mom, please take care of your self and Phil," I said before I got on to the plane.

"I will, and you take care of your self. Call me or email me when you get to Bergen."

"Okay," I sighed.

"Keep your self safe and you can come back when ever you want. Have fun," my mom said gloomily.

"I'll try," I replied with a smile. I knew I wasn't going to be entertained there. I resented Bergen.

"If you want to come home, give me a call."

"I will, Mom," I sighed again.

She smiled at me and gave me a hug as I got on to the plane.

My mother had newly wed Phil. They were going to be traveling across the country and I wanted to give them the chance to spend their time together. I wanted them to be happy with each other but it seemed like I was getting in their way. So I decided that I should spend some time with my dad, Charlie. He lived in Bergen, Norway, which was the rainiest city in Europe. I sighed as I thought about the fact that I wouldn't be able to see the sun much any more. Also, I finally had the chance to live in a different new society with a diverse culture. This was the only reason that kept me sitting on the plane and not jumping out.

When I first made the decision that I was going to Bergen, I forgot to think about the fact that I might have to speak a new language there, but Dad told me that I would be going to an all American high school there. I was seventeen years old and I would have to finish my junior year. Charlie was the United States Ambassador in Bergen. I had been to Bergen before and knew that he wasn't home most of the time.

There were many reasons why I hated Bergen. For one, my mom wouldn't be there. I had never been very close to my dad or any one else and I would feel like an outcast. I had never fit in any where. I was from Phoenix, Arizona. It was hot there and the sun always shined. If I was being stereotypical, I was supposed to look like a tan girl who enjoyed sports and had a lot of friends. Instead, my skin was pale and I hated sports. I was never good at them because I was clumsy. I also didn't have very many friends either. Most of my friends were books and my mom. I also hated it because it was too green. It was full of too much vegetation for my liking.

I wondered if Marit would still be there to take care of me. She was my best friend when I vacationed with my dad. She was like Charlie's mom and the grandmother I never knew. Thinking about her made me slightly cheerful.

As I got out of the plane with my luggage, I saw Charlie standing next to his car with a grin on his face. He had a few body guards with him, also.

"Hey, Dad," I called.

"Hey, Bells. It's great to see you after such a long time. You've grown up a lot. How's your mom doing with Phil?"

I looked at him timidly. He never spoke of Phil. "They're doing fine. They've been traveling around the country. You haven't changed at all." He looked like the dad I last saw two years ago.

He smiled at me as I got in to the car and sat in the passenger seat. The body guards brought their own car and surrounded ours as Charlie started to drive.

"Sorry about the over protection, Bella. There has been some trouble between the Norwegians and the Russians. I didn't want you to get hurt on your first day here," he explained.

I looked around the land. It was raining mildly out side. There was a large overcast over head and there was too much greenery.

As he parked in front of the gargantuan house of his, I looked around to see if Marit was still here.

"Dad, does Marit still take care of you?"

"Of course she does. I know Marit makes you happy and she's like family. You can go see her right after I show you your new car."

I did not expect a car, and it was new. I didn't have very much money with me, and knowing Charlie, he would buy me some thing expensive. I groaned. He looked at me with a mischievous grin. He knew what I was thinking.

I pulled out my umbrella and followed him to the garage in the back of the mansion. My eyes lingered on the coolest car I had ever seen. It was an ebony colored Acura RL and it was innovative. I could not find one scratch on it, and it looked glossy.

"Bella, I don't want you to think that you have to pay me back. It's my way of saying thank you for staying with me."

"You didn't have to do that, Dad, but I really appreciate it. Thanks." I smiled at him.

"Bella?" The voice sounded very familiar and genial.

I turned around and saw Marit scurrying towards me. She bounded in to me and squeezed me tightly in to a hug. "It's so good to see you again. You've grown up quickly." She looked as if she was about to cry.

"It's great to see you too, Marit."

"All of your bags are in your room and I'm supposing that you know where that is. Go get some rest. You must be tired from that long flight."

She hadn't changed a bit. I obeyed and walked up the long cherry stair case. The mansion was three floors tall and my room was on the second floor. At the top of the floor was a large crystal chandelier. I tried not to touch any thing in this house that wasn't mine. I knew my clumsiness would take over and I would ruin the beautiful chandelier if I touched it. Most every thing was expensive and very hard to replace.

As I opened the door to my room, I saw the two small suit cases that I brought with me, on my bed. The room was quite large. There was a queen bed in the center of the room. The walls were a light vanilla. The curtains on the two windows matched the color of the walls and were drawn. I could hear the rain pouring out side. The left wall was a large book shelf with all the books that I enjoyed. I hadn't finished reading all of them but I would get to that. I could see that the shelf was stocked with more books for me to read. On the wall opposite the bed was a small closet for me to put my clothes in. My mom, Renée, had told Charlie to put a computer in my room so she could communicate with me. It was a silver computer that was on my very hefty desk. To me, it was a simple room. There were no posters, and every thing was just plain. It was just the way I liked things.

I didn't bring too many clothes since I knew Marit was going to buy me clothes any way. It was winter and very cold. She bought me clothes that would complement the winter weather. I could tell that the rain out side was going to freeze over night. I would probably slip on the ice and hurt my self on the first full day I was here. After I finished putting all of my clothes away, I went to the rest room across the hall to take a shower. As I finished, I combed the tangles out of my long, wet brown hair and brushed my teeth.

It was getting very late and I would have to go to school tomorrow. I wondered how my new class mates were going to be like. May be, they would know that I was the Ambassador's daughter. I would stay to my self since I was never very popular and never would be. I didn't know where the school was located but I did know that Marit would give me directions.

I was already starting to miss my mom, but she would be calling tomorrow to check up on me. I was starting to have a panicky feeling that I wouldn't be able to see her for a long time because I would be in danger here. I laughed nervously. There was no need to get worried. I would see her when I wanted to get home to Phoenix. Bergen was already making me insane. I pushed away these absurd thoughts to the back of my mind.

"Good night, Mom," I whispered.

**i know nothing much happens in this chapter but Edward is going to be in the next one.**


	2. Chapter 2 Cullens

**Please keep on reviewing. this is a long chapter and Edward makes his entrance in this chapter. sorry, some thing happened and i had to delete this story and put it up again**

**Disclaimer – all of the characters and books belong to Stephenie Meyer who is an awesome author.**

I woke up with out getting any sleep at night. The rain made me restless. I wondered if I would feel habitual to this place. I wore a turtle neck and jeans with a jacket on top. After I brushed my teeth, I went downstairs to get my self breakfast.

"Bella, what are you wearing? You can't wear a jacket in this weather. You need a coat. Eat. I'll go get your coat," Marit told me in a scolding but concerned tone.

I gave her a bemused look as she walked away muttering some thing. I was never taken care of. I did most every thing on my own. I examined the dining table in front of me. How was one human expected to eat all of this? In front of me, I saw cereal, an apple, fried eggs, orange juice, toaster strudel, and some other types of food I had never seen before. Perhaps they were Norwegian.

"You need to eat, Bella. You're as tiny as a sheet of paper. Don't forget, breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

I sighed. "I'll have the cereal, apple, and the toaster strudel. I don't think I could handle eating any thing else." Looking at the food made me feel full.

As I ate, she watched me observantly which made me feel self conscious. I decided to distract her. "Marit, what do you do when you're all alone at home?"

"Well, I usually go shopping or do house work."

"Do you not have any leisure time?"

"I do. Like I said, I usually go shopping. There is a large mall here, Bella. Do you want to go shopping with me one day?"

"Sure, Marit. Only, I prefer going to book stores. I hate shopping any where else, unless it's for some thing I really need."

"Oh. I suppose I'm not surprised what with you being a book worm and all." Her tone was reproachful.

I laughed. "Well, thanks for the excellent food. You're a good cook. I'll see you after school."

"Hold on, Bella. Here is your map. If you get lost, you can ask some one. Every one here is nice enough and I'm sure that every one knows that you're the US Ambassador's daughter."

I groaned. I didn't want to be known that way.

She smiled at me. "Have a great first day. I want to hear about it when you get home."

"Thanks, Marit." I gave her a shy smile.

I took my back pack and the map to the car in the back of the mansion. It was freezing out side. I made a mental note to thank Marit for the coat. It had started to rain hard. I hoped that the rain did not turn to snow or sleet later on in the day. As I got in to my car, I examined the interior. The seats were made out of an onyx leather. It smelled as if some one had sprayed the inside with perfume. There was a sun roof at the ceiling of the car. Overall, it was a great car. I turned on the heater. I felt instantly comfortable inside.

The school wasn't very hard to find. I had to drive straight for a few miles and then turn at the big sign that pointed to the school. It was a large two story building that looked as if it had been built about two years ago. It took me a while to figure out that the lawn in front of the school building was a garden. The rain made it hard to decipher some things here.

As I walked in to the front doors, I saw a sign pointing to the front office. It was right next to the front doors. When I walked in, I saw a woman with red hair sitting behind the counter. She was wearing a pair of glasses and was staring at the tall boy in front of her with a strange expression on her face. If I was to be correct, she was giving him a dreamy look. I stifled a chuckle.

I stood behind him and examined him carefully. The boy was arguing with her in a low voice that was velvety and soft. It was the single, most melodic voice I had ever heard in my life. He was very tall and paler than me. His hair was unkempt and bronze. He wasn't very bulky. He had a white shirt with matching pants on. The sleeves of his shirt were pulled up to his elbows revealing very muscular arms.

Some one opened the front doors and in blew a gust of wind. In front of me, the boy stopped talking and his arms and shoulders stiffened. He turned his head around slowly to look at me. I looked at the most beautiful face I had ever seen. It was perfect in every way. He glared at me with a violent expression in his eyes. They were coal black and communicative. I tried not to cower when I saw the expression on his face. They had purple shadows under them. Some where in his eyes, I saw frustration. His face was ridiculously handsome with the hateful expression. His face was inhumanly beautiful. It had to be the face of an angel.

He turned back to the woman, and shock crossed her face.

"I'm sorry for taking up your time, Mrs. Cope. I'll be back later today to see if I can make arrangements. Thank you." He sounded as if he was trying to suppress anger.

He turned around in a graceful movement and walked out the door without looking at me again.

I could feel the tears coming. I wiped them away quickly before the woman behind the counter could see. What had I done to make him look at me like that? Was it my fault? May be, he was very upset before I came in to the room. Why did I think that it was my fault that he was mad? I couldn't be arrogant. He had to be angry about another matter completely.

I hesitantly walked up to Mrs. Cope's desk. She tried to smile at me but I could see that she was still startled by the boy's expression.

"My name is Isabella Swan." I said slowly as I saw apprehension cross her face.

"It must be your first day here. We've been awaiting your arrival. Have a great first day here and if you need any thing, please don't hesitate to ask. My name is Mrs. Cope." She gave me a more convincing smile.

She went through a neat stack on her desk and handed me my schedule. "Here's your schedule and I hope you enjoy being here."

"Thanks, Ms. Cope," I mumbled.

I walked out of the office still thinking about the mysterious boy. My first day here wasn't too bad. There were some friendly people here. I started to feel self conscious when I became the spot light of the whole school. It was as if they had never had a new student arrive there. I sat at lunch with a girl who enjoyed talking a lot named Jessica, a very friendly boy named Mike Newton, and a girl who was shy like me named Angela. I started to like her as soon as I knew her.

I sat at the table pretending to listen to the conversation Jessica had going on. As I pretended, I looked around the cafeteria examining the students. As I watched, I saw a very beautiful family. They were sitting far from every one else and there were four of them. They weren't talking to one another and they each had a tray with untouched food in front of them. They looked different from each other and yet, they were similar. Like the boy who had given me the venomous glare, they all had very pale, flawless skin. It was as if their skin was white. They all had purple shadows under their eyes which were night black. They were different because their hairs were all colored different shades. They were similar because they were inhumanly beautiful. One of the boys was very muscular and had dark curly hair. The second boy was a bit leaner and had blond hair. The two girls were very unlike. The first girl was like a fairy. Her hair was dark and short. Her size was very small. The blond haired girl was very stunning and tall.

"Jessica, who are those students sitting as far from every one else?" I asked in an interested voice.

She looked at me as if she had expected my question and smiled. "They are the Cullens. They were adopted by Dr. Cullen and his wife, who look so young. You would think that they were still in their twenties. Any way, the boys are Emmett Cullen and Jasper Hale and the girls are Alice Cullen and Rosalie Hale." She named them in the order that they were sitting.

"There are really five of them but Edward Cullen's not here. He's been away for a few days and he's supposed to be back today." She sounded excited.

"There were rumors going around today that he was already here. Some kids claimed they saw him in the front office."

"Is he the one with the untidy bronze hair?" I asked in an unsure tone.

"Yes! Did you see him?" There was a note of jealousy in her voice but it was still excited.

"Yes, I did, but I don't think he like me, though."

"Oh." Her voice turned smug now.

I ignored her tone and stated the obvious. "They are very beautiful people."

"I know, but they're all together. Emmett's with Rosalie and Jasper's with Alice. Edward is the only single boy in their family and every girl in the school is crazy for him. But don't waste your time on Edward. He doesn't date at all."

The Cullens and Hales had the strangest names I had ever heard. It was as if they were from a different century. I thought about Edward and knew that Jessica was thinking about him. Then again, I saw her watching Mike as well. Jessica needed to make up her mind.

A girl named Lauren Mallory came up to Jessica and started to talk to her. She ignored me completely and I didn't mind that at all. "So, Jess, are you going to ask Mike out or Edward Cullen?"

"I think I like Mike more, and Edward is hard to impress."

"I hope Tyler will go to the dance with me," Lauren said mostly to her self.

"Good luck," Jessica exclaimed as Lauren walked away.

It wasn't the most horrible first day for me. It went quite well except for the fact that I couldn't help thinking that Edward Cullen hated me. My teachers were nice but the students here were behind. I had already learned every thing the teachers taught today. I was surprised that I had had no trouble with trigonometry at all. I hated that subject.

As I walked out of the building, one of my worst fears after coming here was confirmed. The roads were covered in ice. I was going to fall and humiliate my self here on my first day. I walked slowly to my car and had to hold the side for support as I got in.

I watched the Cullens pass fluidly in front of my car. It was astounding to see them walk so gracefully or dance, in the case of Alice. Even Emmett was graceful.

Alice gave me a small smile as she walked by. I beamed in return. They all got in to a golden Lexus LX and drove off very swiftly. I watched as their car turned the corner. I made my way slowly out of the parking lot, careful not to swerve at any thing, but my good luck was starting to end.

The car hit a small ditch and swerved towards some men carrying some thing shiny. They moved out of the way in the nick of time. I tried to start the key in the ignition but it wouldn't start. I groaned in frustration. I gave up trying after several tries. I decided to ask the men who were watching me. Marit had said that the people were friendly enough and I could ask them if I needed any help.

I hesitantly strode towards them and they stared at me with hateful eyes. I became nervous. Before I could ask them any thing, one of the men held up a very pointy knife at me and next to me, I heard two guns go off.

**i know this is a cliff hanger but i need more people to review.**


	3. Chapter 3 safe

**sorry, this is a short chapter and I will add another one today. Enjoy**

**Disclaimer – all the books and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer except for the characters I made up.**

"Give us your money," the man holding the knife at my face commanded.

If I hadn't put all of the money I had brought with me to school in to my lunch account, I would have happily given it to them.

"I don't have any money," I insisted in a weak voice.

"You're a liar," one of the men holding a gun shouted. Then, he put his gun up to my head.

"Do you know how many times I've heard that line?" It was a rhetorical question.

I could feel the tears coming. I tried to push them back. If I was going to die, I wasn't going to die as a coward. I would have a brave death.

No. I couldn't think about dying. I would find a way to get out alive because I wouldn't give my self up to mortality. I was starting to hate this place even more.

"How about I give you my car?"

"No. It is worthless when it will not work. There is a dent in it and a tire is punctured."

I mentally sighed. There was no possible way to escape this terrible nightmare now. May be, if I shouted for help, some one would be able to see. But, the road was deserted and I could see no car from this angle. I mentally calculated my chances of getting out of this place alive as the knife inched closer to my face.

I gulped. I couldn't escape death. Fate didn't work that way. I closed my eyes as I heard the man slowly pull the trigger.

Suddenly, I could hear a car skidding speedily in the streets. I opened my eyes and looked at a silver Mercedes. It stopped right in front of me. I stifled my astonishment as I watched some one with a beautiful furious expression on his face get out of the car. He didn't say any thing as he walked up to us faster than I could blink.

"Let her go." Edward said in a low cold voice.

The man with the knife snarled. "And if I don't, what will you do?"

Edward didn't say any thing as he took the knife from the man by holding the blade, effortlessly. I was awestruck. He didn't have any blood on his cold hands and I saw no pain on his face. There was only anger.

The man opened his mouth and stared at him in horror. The man holding the gun up to my head loosened his grip on the gun. Edward dropped the knife and stepped on it. It crumbled to pieces. He held my head gently and pulled the gun away from it at an angle. He pointed the gun at the men and they started to run down the deserted street.

I stared at his face with wide eyes. He looked at me and the anger twisted in to a mask of pain. It was the most striking face I had ever seen. Then, he pulled his hand away from my head.

"Thank you." I could hear the gratitude radiating from my voice but it was no more than a whisper.

"Come on. Get your things out of your car and I'll take you home." He smiled slightly then but there was pain still in his golden eyes, and I could see that he was trying very hard to hide it.

He waited for me as I got my back pack out. I hurried towards him. For some reason I couldn't explain to my self, I kept on thinking that the danger was just starting.


	4. Chapter 4 danger

**i'm glad that I got good reviews. thanks to every one who has been reading this story. Here is the second chapter for the day since I might not update tomorrow. Read and review**

**Disclaimer – all the characters and books belong to Stephenie Meyer except for the ones I made up. **

While I sat in the passenger seat, I put on my seat belt. My hands were numb for standing out in the cold. Edward fiddled with the controls in the car and I felt instantly warm as he turned on the heater.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. Usually, things like this don't happen in Bergen." I couldn't believe I was hearing this. He was apologizing for some thing that wasn't his fault.

"That's what Marit said, and please don't apologize."

"Well, I have to. This is my home and I don't want you to get a bad impression of this city. Any way, if you don't mind me asking, who is Marit?"

"She's my best friend here."

He chuckled then. His laugh sounded like chimes ringing in the wind. "I'm supposing from her name that she isn't American."

"No, but she does speak English."

I changed the topic. "That was a great show you put on."

"Thank you," he laughed.

His mood suddenly changed and his gaze scattered my concentration. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

He gave me a concerned look. "Are you sure? Do you not feel frightened or distressed?"

I felt confused and raised an eye brow. "Why would I feel that way?"

He smiled at me again, flashing his ultra white teeth. "Well, a normal person would feel that way if he or she had just faced what you had."

"Strangely, I feel relieved and safe."

His mood shifted again. "You shouldn't. You're even in more danger now than before." He said this so quietly, I wasn't sure if I had heard correctly.

"I haven't properly introduced my self to you yet. My name is Edward Cullen. You must be Isabella Swan." He held out his hand so I could shake it.

"Bella," I corrected, as I shook his hand. It felt hard and frozen as if he had just frozen his hand in liquid nitrogen.

I jerked my hand away immediately. It felt like the coldness emanating from his hand had burned me.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "How was your first day?"

"It was okay, but kind of boring. You all are behind. I've already learned most of the things you all are currently studying."

"You're right. Most of the teachers teach at a snail's pace and I've learned most of it too. You don't know how monotonous it feels to go to school every day and learn the things that were mastered by you years ago." He stopped talking then and I had the feeling that he thought that he had said too much.

"We were home schooled before we moved here," he clarified as he looked straight ahead.

We were silent for a few minutes. In that time, I looked at his face again and suddenly noticed a change. His eyes were no longer the cold, black color that had scared me this morning. They were now a liquid, golden color full of warmth.

"How is that possible?" I asked him with out thinking.

He gave me a bemused look. "How is what possible?"

"How did the color of your eyes change so quickly? They were black this morning."

He whirled his head almost invisibly, stunned. "What?"

"Are you wearing some thing like contacts?"

He sounded cautious. "No. This is the color of my eyes normally."

"Then, why were they black this morning?" I demanded.

He glared at me. "You're quite observant, aren't you? And you ask too many questions."

"I'm renowned for my questions."

He chuckled again, but it was stopped short. He looked ahead at the huge traffic line that was forming, and sighed.

I had another strange feeling inside of me. I was glad that I could be with him longer. I felt as if I would feel lonely for the rest of my life if I could never see him again. I turned around to face him and saw that he was staring at me with a definite sign of frustration in his eyes.

Before I could say any thing, a man wearing a uniform tapped on Edward's side of the window.

He rolled it down. "Officer, is there some thing you would like?" he asked in a polite tone.

The officer started to speak in a language foreign to me. Edward answered back to him in the fascinating language fluently. I started to become anxious while I could not understand any thing they were saying to each other. All of a sudden, Edward handed the officer his passport. I looked at him in horror as he held out his hand.

"The officer needs your passport."

"Why?" I asked him in a shaky voice.

"There are Russian enemies hiding around the city and guards want to be certain that they don't get any where near here for the citizens' safety."

"I don't have my passport with me," I explained as my voice broke.

Edward looked at me with an unreadable expression on his face before turning back to the officer.

"Stay here and do not leave," the officer commanded in English before turning away.

"Did I get us in to trouble?" I asked him. I was about to cry.

"We're in no conflict yet, and if we were, it wouldn't have been your fault. I know normally people don't carry their passport with them around town. I was out of town for several days and I returned today so I have my passport." He gave me a reassuring smile.

For the third time that day, I heard another gun go off. Several victims were dead on the street and I forced my self to look away. The wind blew in to the car through the open window and Edward went rigid. He leaned away from me and his hands were balled in to fists. He turned away from me swiftly but not before I had the chance to see that his eyes were getting darker. How could that be possible?

A bomb went off and three cars blew up in to the air. I looked around me. From one side of the street hundreds of people in uniforms and guns were walking in. They killed any one who walked passed them. On the other side, I saw a Norwegian army trooping in as well, and then, both of the groups began to fight.

I looked at the fighting in front of me in horror. I couldn't be in the middle of this. This was just a nightmare. It wasn't real, but reassuring my self wasn't helping at all.

Edward hadn't said a word. He was staring intently at some thing and it seemed like he was concentrating very hard. His eyes were a darker gold and his fists were getting tighter as I watched. I followed his gaze and saw that he was watching a small boy who was stuck inside of a burning car and was crying uncontrollably.

Before I knew it, Edward had gotten out of the car. He spoke to me urgently. "Stay in the car. Do not leave." He emphasized 'not' heavily.

Then, he ran in a graceful aggressive manner to the car. His run was so fast that he blurred. I could not have possibly seen that. He opened the car as if there was no fire burning it at all. I saw a woman running towards him as he got the young boy out. The woman was bleeding at the head and Edward's face became even paler than before. It looked as if he was holding his breath.

Out of nowhere, I saw a huge war tank that was being driven. It destroyed every thing in sight and I was the next target.

Edward noticed and stared at me in terror. "Bella, get out of the way! Get out of the car or drive! No, Bella, don't sit there. Please move! Please." His voice broke.

I stared at the tank that would hit me any second. I tried to move but my arms and legs were frozen.


	5. Chapter 5 in the forest

**Thanks to every one who has reviewed, but i need people to criticize this story. Let me know if any one is ooc. i don't think I will put up another chapter until I have at least eight reviews**

**Disclaimer – all the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer except the ones I made up and the books belong to her also**

I didn't see Edward move but he was suddenly there, sitting next to me. How he had done that was impossible for me to comprehend. He was unlike any one I had ever known. I could feel the tears coming while Edward started the car and revved the engine. His face was adamant with a black expression on his face. He drove the car going a hundred miles an hour.

"What were you thinking Bella? You could have killed your self!" his quiet voice yelled in exasperation. "Have you made your self suicidal?"

I didn't look at him as the tears flowed down my face with out stopping.

"Please don't cry Bella. I didn't mean to offend you." His face was full of sorrow but the expression in his eyes were perplexed as he tried to use a lighter tone. "Some times, I have trouble controlling my temper."

I shook my head, turning to face him. My voice sounded weak but unnaturally even. "It's not your fault. I don't know what happened to me at that moment. May be, it was just fear that took control."

He gave me a crooked smile that was so beautiful that I could only stare at his face.

I glanced out the window and saw every thing racing. I could tell we were no longer in the city. There were only fields that were slipping by smoothly.

"Bella, I need you to keep your self safe. You need to be able to make quick, good decisions during times of crisis such as this. I want you to promise me this." His expression became pained as if he was having an internal problem.

"I promise."

"Good."

"Where are you taking us?" I asked him as I tried to hide my panic. I could see that we were no longer in the city limits.

"Where I'm taking you, we will both be unharmed and it's going to stay that way."

I didn't know him very well, but for some reason, I trusted him completely.

He took a sharp turn on to a dirt road. "Tell me, what were you thinking earlier today before I skidded in to the street? You didn't look afraid. It was as if you were trying to tell your self some thing."

"I told my self that I wasn't going to die. I was trying to keep my hopes up that there was some way I could get out alive, and then you came along."

He turned around and looked at me with a wistful smile on his angelic face.

"Thank you. That's twice in less than an hour." My voice was full of appreciation.

"Please don't put your self in to that position again. It hurts me to see you in danger." His eyes were magnificently intense when he said that last sentence.

Adrenaline raced through my veins while I blushed deeply.

We were no longer on the dirt road. I could now see trees surrounding us. It was shady but after looking at the clock on the dash board, I knew it was still midday. The trees grew thicker as we inched closer to the heart of the forest. Hastily, Edward stopped the car. I opened the door and saw grave stones on the ground in front of me.

"Why are we here in a grave yard?"

"This is the ideal place to stay during the battle. It's safe. No one will be able to hurt you here, I promise."

"But it's cold," I told him.

He chuckled quietly in his musical voice and then his face became serious. "I need you to understand this, Bella. Let me attempt to explain this conflict to you. Russia and Norway are having a dispute over natatory limits in the Barents Sea. This is why Russian troops are here annexing the city so that Norway can surrender the limits over to them. Now, tell me some thing. Would you rather be alive in this arctic weather or would you rather find a warm, comfortable place to stay where the house keeper could be your enemy?"

I looked at him and decided that I would have to go with his first choice. We both stepped out of the car. He walked around to stand in front of me.

"I could keep the heater running in the car but I don't think that I would be able to get you back in to Bergen if there isn't any gas left in the Mercedes."

"I understand."

I could see that he was starting to lean towards me so we were facing each other. His expression was soft. "Now, let's get you some thing to eat." His face was very close to mine and I could smell a sweet sensation coming from his breath.

"It's okay. I'm not very hungry right now."

"Tell me when you are. There has to be some thing edible for you here."

"Thanks. I'm still quite cold. Let's build a fire," I suggested.

After we had gathered logs and built a fire, we sat across from each other on logs. Edward seemed at ease in this wintry weather. I rubbed my hands together to warm them with the friction. When I thought that didn't work, I put them close up to the warmth of the fire. I kept on doing this repeatedly while Edward sat there and watched with an amused look on his face.

"Why did you move here if you don't like this weather?" he asked me all of a sudden with a curious expression on his face that I couldn't understand the reason for.

"I wouldn't say that I don't like this weather since I haven't been in it enough to comment on it. Instead, I hate this weather. I've seen enough about it on television to hate it. I prefer places that are sunny and dry instead of freezing and wet." I grimaced.

He seemed very interested in what I had just said. I didn't know why.

"So then, why did you move here?"

Why did he want to know about my boring life story? I couldn't believe it. This beautiful boy, who I thought had hated me this morning, had just saved my life twice in one day and was now asking me questions about my life. He had even told me that it would pain him to see me hurt. It was strange and wonderful at the same time and I felt pleased.

"My mom remarried a baseball player named Phil."

I saw excitement color his eyes as I said this. He flashed his perfect white teeth. "Would I have heard of him?"

"I'm assuming you enjoy baseball."

"Yes, but go on," he urged.

"No, I don't think you would have heard of Phil since he's not very great and plays minor league. He travels a lot around the country."

"I'm presuming you don't like Phil very much," he told me as if he had expected that.

"No, I like him. He may be a bit young, but he's all right."

His eyes were piercing in to me as if he was trying to figure out what I was thinking. "Then why did you move away from them?"

"My mother wanted to be with Phil. At first, she stayed with me but I saw that she was discontented with out him."

He made the wrong assumption again. "That explains it. She sent you here so she could be with him."

"No. Actually, I sent my self here so she could be happy with him. Also, I wanted to spend some time with Charlie since I hadn't seen him in a while." Talking about Charlie, Phil, and Renée was making me unhappy.

His eye brows furrowed together in confusion. He looked extremely frustrated that he hadn't gotten every thing about my story correct. "I'm not understanding your story."

I sighed. "It's okay, Edward. It's not as if you're trying to read my mind."

He looked at me interestedly with amusement dancing in his eyes but I could still see a hint of frustration. I felt as if I was missing an inside joke.

His eyes scattered my concentration and I spoke to him once my thoughts were clear again.

"I will be able to see my family again, won't I?" I asked him with a glum expression.

He sighed in frustration. "Bella, I won't let you get hurt. You will be home and safe as soon as this little battle is over. I'm going to be with you until you are returned home where I can see you safe."

His promise made my heart beat speed up and I felt very happy and secure with him. He smiled at me, and I couldn't help smiling back.

"Are you still not hungry?"

"No, but if you are, we can try to find some thing for you."

His expression was full of fury when I said this, and it reminded him of some thing. He moved away from me like he smelled some thing that he didn't enjoy. His posture became rigid and his fists clenched again. "No, I'm not hungry." His voice was cold.

I was about to apologize to him but the look on his face and his posture left me speechless. I was sure I didn't smell bad but was afraid to make sure since it would be conspicuous. We stared at each other warily for a few silent minutes before we were both startled when a phone started to ring.

Edward took out a small silver phone out of his jacket pocket. He flipped the phone open and shock crossed his face as he registered the number. He pressed the send button. "What do you want Rosalie?"

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, EDWARD, AND WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE YOU?" Rosalie's fuming voice hissed.

He reflexively held the phone away from his ear as I jumped in my seat. "I can hear you quite well, Rosalie. You don't have to shout. Bella is sitting right here and I think she can hear you clearly," he explained in a calm quiet voice.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST WITH A HUM –" he shut off the power.

He looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. Rosalie is very upset with me at the moment."

The phone rang again and he flipped it open hesitantly. He looked relieved as he registered this number. He let the call be sent. "Alice, tell Jasper to calm Rosalie down."

He was silent for a few seconds as he listened to what she was saying. "I know what I'm doing. I know how to take care of my self." His voice became very quiet and his mouth moved so quickly I couldn't catch any thing he was saying to Alice. It became a musical humming sound.

"Hold on for a second," he told Alice.

He pulled the phone away from his ear. "Bella, will you excuse me for a moment?"

I deliberated for a second before nodding.

He smiled his crooked smile as he watched my hesitation. "Don't worry. You will be perfectly all right. There will be no ghosts going after you." He sounded confident while he smirked.

Then, he stood up from the log and walked away to a different part of the forest. His walk was so graceful that I felt disturbed.

I sat there and looked around my surrounding. It was getting darker, closer to evening. I felt pain hit me as I thought about Marit and Charlie. They would be panicked that I hadn't returned home. I wanted to tell them that I was fine. It was all because of Edward and I felt even more grateful towards him. He was the one thing that I could look forward to here at my stay in Bergen. May be, Edward would let me use his phone to call them.

My thoughts were interrupted by a rustling sound in the trees. I whipped my head around in the direction I thought it came from but I saw nothing. Then, I heard it again.

I tried to sound brave since I felt fearless internally but in some way, my voice managed to betray me. "Who's there?"


	6. Chapter 6 friend?

**Some parts of this chapter are written in third person pov and later will be changed to Bella's. those parts will be pointed out. Read and review and tell me how this chapter is. i know the story is moving slowly but every thing will pick up soon.**

**Disclaimer – all the characters except for the ones I made up belong to Stephenie Meyer and so do Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse.**

third person POV -

Marit ran up to the office as fast as she could. Her tears ran down her face that had become a shade of red from the constant crying. Her head was spinning but she didn't care. Ambassador Swan's daughter hadn't arrived home and the battle was still raging. Her legs would not carry her up all the flights of the stairs but soon enough, she made it to the front of the office. She didn't wait to knock as she bustled in to the room.

"Charlie, Bella hasn't returned from school!" she screamed as she cried.

It took Charlie a few seconds to comprehend that. He dropped the phone he was holding and stared at Marit confusedly, trying very hard not to grasp what she had just said.

Bella's POV -

"Bella," Edward said disapprovingly as he walked out of the trees. "I've told you numerous times that this is a safe place. No harm can come to you here."

His golden eyes smoldered at me and my thoughts scattered again.

"I know. It's just that my dad and Marit will be worried. May I use your phone to tell them that I'm fine?"

"Of course," he answered in a concerned voice as he held out his phone to me. His mood had shifted again.

As I took it, I accidentally touched his palm. It was still frozen but I felt an electricity shock that passed between the two of us and jerked my hand quickly away again.

I tried to remember the number to Charlie's office and dialed what I thought was right.

As I held up the phone, I heard a woman on the other line say, "Sorry. The number you dialed does not exist."

I tried dialing again but I got the same response. I moved the hair out of my face in frustration as I became panicked. I had forgotten the number because of the stressful events from today. I tried to call home but no one answered. I tried dialing home for times and became more worried that the Russians had hurt Charlie and Marit.

This is silly, I tried to tell my self, but I wasn't convinced. I could feel Edward's stern gaze on my face but I couldn't look at him yet. I would break down if I did. From my peripheral vision, I could see that he was leaning against a tree with his legs crossed and his hands in his pockets.

I looked at him and smiled regretfully. "I don't remember the number."

He strode gracefully up to me. I should have been used to that by now, but Edward wasn't the type of person who any one could get used to.

"Luckily, I do. Carlisle works at the hospital in the Ambassadors' office and I'm sure he'll be able to connect you to your father."

He was trying to soothe me and I felt soothed.

"Thanks," I mumbled trying very hard not to look at his face unsuccessfully. I didn't want his gaze to scatter my thoughts as I talked to Charlie.

He dialed a number so quickly that his hands blurred. "Hello? Carlisle? I'm here in the grave yard with Ambassador Swan's daughter. Yes, her. Alice told me every thing was going to be all right. I don't think that would be the best idea at the moment."

He paused as Carlisle said some thing. "The battle has gotten worse?" he asked disbelievingly.

I could feel my self falling. My knees were growing weak, but before I could fall, Edward put one of his stone hands on my shoulder in an iron grasp to hold me up.

"Her name is Bella and she would like to talk to her father. Can you connect her to him?"

"Hello?" I managed to say after a few seconds.

third person POV -

Carlisle walked in to Charlie's office.

"Ambassador Swan, your daughter would like to have a word with you."

Charlie scrambled to his feet from his seat as he hesitantly took the phone from Carlisle's hand, not sure about what he was going to hear.

"Bella?"

"Hello?" asked a soft voice from the other line.

"Bells, are you okay?"

"I'm fine dad. I tried to call home but there seems to be no one there."

"Marit is here with me."

On the other line, Bella sighed and relaxed.

"If you need any thing, call us. I'm going to see if I can get a rescue squad to bring you back, but the battle has gotten worse. The Russians are going to people's houses and burning them down."

"Dad, I don't want a rescue squad going to save us. I don't want people to get hurt because of me. I'm fine here and I'm with a friend."

Charlie relaxed. "As long as you're not alone and you're safe, both me and Marit can stay calm."

"Thanks, Dad and please tell Marit that I will be fine." Bella switched off the phone.

Charlie did the same and sighed. "Thank you Dr. Cullen. I can't thank you enough."

Carlisle smiled at him. "You don't have to worry. My son, Edward, is with her and he will wholly take care of her."

Bella's POV -

"Friend?" Edward mused.

"What?" I asked.

"You just told your father that you were here with a friend."

"Yes. Aren't we friends now?" I asked him, feeling like an idiot.

"You don't know any thing about me. I might not be a good friend for you."

"How could you say that? How bad can you be if you've saved my life twice?"

His eyes became very intense as if he was trying very hard to communicate some thing to me that he didn't want to say aloud. "Bella, what if I told you that I was doing this for my benefit? What if I told you that the only reason you're here with me is because I'm trying very hard not to go up to the men who had tried to hurt and rip off their heads? What if I told you that I wanted you here with me so that I could be with you?"

"Are you?" I asked as my voice broke.

"Yes." He voice became pleading. "You must understand that we've only known each other for a few hours and you don't know any thing about who I am, about what I am."

I couldn't believe that such a small conversation could become intense. I stared at him. I was sure that he wanted to tell me all of this. It was as if he was trying to hide all of these things but wouldn't keep it inside of him for much longer.

"You think that I'm the super hero. What if I'm the greedy villain?" he tried to lighten the mood but his eyes were still intense.

Comprehension flashed to my face and I understood every thing now. He was trying to tell me this the entire time. He didn't want to be my friend because he was deadly. He was dangerous.

He looked at me in interested frustration. I couldn't imagine why.

"You're saying you're dangerous. Is that what's keeping us from being friends?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, of course," he answered, raising one eye brow in confusion. "Do normal people want dangerous friends?"

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"Well, to me, you don't seem very normal, so I suppose we can try to be friends," he allowed.

He looked at the ground for a few minutes but I don't think he was seeing any thing. I stared at the stunning creature in front of me. Abruptly, he went to his car and took out a map. He opened the map on to the trunk of the car.

"Come here, Bella." He motioned to me with his hand.

I stood beside of him and looked at the map, having no idea what I was looking at.

"This is a map of Norway," he explained. He pointed to the middle of the map. "We're here at the moment and the fighting is going on all around the city, and we're not very far from Bergen. There is a very good possibility that the Russian troops will try to spread through out the country over the next few days. The closest city to us is Floro and they will try to go there but in order to get there, they have to go through this forest. I promise you that we will be out of here before they can even touch the city limit."

"As long as we're safe, I will be fine."

He sighed. I looked at him trying to figure out what kind of dangerous person would be trying very hard to save some one like me. Then I realized that just because he said he was dangerous didn't mean that he was bad.

He stared at me with frustration again on his face and asked me, "What are you thinking?"

"What are you?" I asked him.

He ignored my question. "Come on, friend. Let's get you some thing to eat before you starve."


	7. Chapter 7 Jacob Black

**Thanks every one for the terrific reviews. i know this is a short chapter but I might add another one later today. sorry for the late update.**

**Disclaimer – all the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer except for the ones made up by me. the books belong to her also.**

"What about the car?" My voice cracked. I had no intention of going in to the forest. There could have been Russian troops already hiding in the trees waiting to ambush us, but I didn't want Edward to leave me either.

"You're right," he smiled slightly. "I don't think I can leave this car here by it self. Rosalie would be furious if some thing happened to it. You can stay here by the car. I'm perfectly sure you will be fine."

'I don't think that would be the best idea," I said nervously.

He walked over to the trunk of the car and pulled it open. He handed me a ball of yarn. "I'll take some yarn with me attached to the ball. If you feel afraid or if you need me, follow the yarn."

"Thanks," I muttered.

"Okay, not that that's taken care of, what would you prefer eating?"

"You know, I don't have to eat right now. I can wait until morning."

He pulled out a fishing rod out of the trunk and sighed in frustration. "Don't be difficult, Bella. You seem tired, worn out, and hungry. I think you need to get some food in to you. You seem weak at the moment, but surprisingly calm after what you went through today."

I tried to argue with him. "There could be troops in there waiting to ambush you."

"Bella, stop worrying about me. You need to only think about your self."

I looked away from the force of his eyes. "I can't."

He pressed his lips together, trying to fight a smile. "Humor me."

I grabbed the ball firmly and watched as he walked fluidly in to the depths of the forest. I tried very hard not to look at the grave stones in front of me. I knew there were no such things as ghosts. No one would be coming back from the dead, but in a cemetery all alone…

I quickly forced that thought away. I was silly for me to act this way. The stress of the situation had finally caught up with me and I was losing my mind. The supernatural didn't exist, so why did I have the feeling that I was being watched?

I could feel the ball of yarn tugging at me as Edward walked farther away. "Are you all right there, Bella?" he called out.

I tried to build up a loud reply but my throat was dry. "I'm fine," I said in a volume that I would normally use in a regular conversation. I was sure he hadn't heard me.

"That's good," he called back. I could hear a smile in his voice.

I felt astounded. How had he heard me? Were his ears that sharp? I stood there, trying to figure him out. What was Edward Cullen? I knew that he was extraordinary and perfect. He did things that I thought were impossible to do. It was as if he was a super human.

I looked around my surroundings and saw a very tall and lean boy standing behind me. He didn't say a word and I wondered why I didn't scream in fright. I was standing in the middle of a forest with a grave yard next to me, and Edward gone. A boy I had never seen before in my life was staring at me with a curious expression on his face. I thought about him being a ghost but he looked too human.

"Hi," I whispered.

The boy was very tall with shiny black hair. His eyes were a dark color. I couldn't tell as the night was quickly approaching. He seemed to be a bit younger than me. Overall, he was had a very nice face.

"Hi," he answered confusedly and then he laughed. "I was hoping to scare you. You were looking around nervously and thought it would be the perfect chance to have some fun. You're standing here as if you had expected to see me. Wow, you're strange."

"Oh." I couldn't think of a better answer.

"Sorry," he smiled. "I'm Jacob Black. You must be Bella Swan."

"How did you know that?"

"Every one knows you. We've all been waiting for you to arrive and your dad and my dad are friends."

I suddenly recalled some memories from my past visits to Bergen. "You're Billy Black's son, aren't you?" I vaguely remembered the times when I used to play with Jacob and his older sisters.

"Yes, I am."

"Wow, Jacob. You look so different. You've grown up a lot since the last time I saw you. How is every one doing?"

"We're all doing well, but we're all stressed from this pointless battle."

I sighed. "Well, that's good, I think.. So Jacob, what brings you here?" It was very easy to talk to him.

He laughed. "Well, with the battle and all, I didn't want to stay in town. It's getting very bloody there. I was just walking out when I heard voices in here. Wow, you're terribly brave with Cullen and all. I've never seen any one get along so well with a vampire."


	8. Chapter 8 myths

**Thanks for the fantastic reviews. the story goes uphill from here. Thank Diddly. I used your advice. I meant to get this chapter up yesterday but didn't have the time. Have fun reading.**

**Disclaimer – the books and the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer except for the ones I made up. **

I stared at him, trying to comprehend what he had just told me. Had he called Edward a vampire? I knew he was some thing but I didn't expect him to be a mythical creature.

I laughed internally at my self. Living here in Bergen had finally made me go mad.

"Bella, are you okay?" Jacob asked in a concerned tone.

I bent down to sit on the log in front of the fire but fell hard against the ground. I quickly pulled my self up on to the log. My hands were shaking and it had nothing to do with the cold weather. Jacob sat on the log opposite me, always watching my face.

"I'm fine." I tried to sound reassuring but my voice betrayed me. "It's funny because for a second I thought you said that Edward was a vampire."

"I didn't mean to say that. It just slipped out."

"Do you honestly believe that?" I asked acidly.

He looked down, not meeting my eyes. "Well, we haven't confirmed any thing yet but that's what we think he and the rest of his family is."

"We? Who is 'we'?"

"Well, me and my family."

I forced a laugh. "Do you believe in myths and magical creatures?"

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any thing."

"No, it's all right. Sorry for being so rude. It's just so hard to comprehend." I tried very hard to sound sincere.

He looked up at me and laughed as confidence took over him. "I didn't really expect you to believe me."

"Do you believe in those myths?" I asked again.

"I do believe in them to an extent but they're only stories. We believe in werewolves too. These myths have been a part of our family for centuries and I just expected Cullen to be that. He has the symptoms of one, you know."

"Edward," I corrected. "What are the symptoms of being a vampire?"

I couldn't believe that I was trying to confirm mythical creatures. Surely I was now crazy. May be I was just hallucinating from the stress of my situation. I probably created Jacob to explain to me that Edward was some thing more than normal. I just hadn't expected him to be a vampire.

That couldn't be right. Jacob seemed too realistic to be fake. I wasn't that creative.

"Well, you see, vampires are supposed to be the enemies of the werewolves."

"Werewolves?" I asked seriously.

He took it as a joke but there was an edge to his voice. "Yeah, but haven't seen any around here. Any way, vampires are supposed to be blood drinkers."

I felt my self go rigid.

He noticed and tried to hide a smile. "Normally, vampires drink human blood but the Cullens don't. They drink animal blood but that doesn't mean that they don't get tempted by humans. Also, they enjoy living in places where the sun doesn't shine much. That's why they chose Bergen, the rainiest place in all of Europe. We think they get burned by the sun but I'm not sure about that."

"Wow, Jacob. You're a good story teller." I had started to believe him a bit but I didn't want him to know that.

"You don't really believe in my story do you?" he teased.

"Not really. I mean if some one told you that unicorns were real, would you believe that person?"

He grinned at my joke. "I guess not."

"Any way, continue with your story. It's the perfect story in a grave yard."

"Well, did I mention that they're immortal?"

"No."

"Now I have. I think the only thing that can kill them is the werewolf but I'm not sure about that either. Have you by any chance touched him yet?"

"Yes, when we were shaking hands."

"And did you notice any thing?"

"They were very cold."

"Exactly. They're cold skinned."

"Well, thanks Jacob. I won't be able to sleep all night," I told him sarcastically.

He laughed again. "Where is Cullen any way?"

"He went to find me some food."

"Is that why you're holding that?" he asked pointing to the ball of yarn.

"Yeah. I would be able to track him if I needed him."

"Any way, I should be going. I'm heading off to the island of Aukura. There are no troops there and it's safe."

"Okay. Have fun."

"I don't think 'fun' is the right word."

"I guess that's right. Who would be having fun at a time like this?"

I didn't notice when the yarn had started to roll it self up. I was too busy thinking if Jacob's story could have any thing to do with the Cullens. Then I noticed the still white figure standing several feet away from me. He looked furious and his hands were clamped in to fists. I wasn't sure but I heard a quiet growl coming from him.

Jacob stood and his jaw clenched. "Cullen."

"Jacob Black."


	9. Chapter 9 explanations

**I'm adding the second chapter for the day. continue reading. **

**Disclaimer – the characters except for the ones I made up belong to Stephenie Meyer. so does Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. **

Jacob snarled at Edward while he glared. The Jacob that I had been talking to just a few seconds ago had vanished. A new Jacob had taken his place and was trying very hard to control him self. I didn't know why. He was shaking violently and his face had turned in to a dark shade of red.

Edward's pale face turned even paler and his eyes turned black as I watched him. He was trying very hard to control him self. It seemed as if both of them knew some thing I didn't. The way they stared at each other made me think that they were communicating through their minds. They were trying very hard not to fight.

"I wouldn't ever do that," Edward said, breaking the silence.

There was some thing I had missed. It seemed that Edward was able to tell exactly what Jacob was thinking.

"If you do, then I'm going to have to hurt you." Jacob nodded at me with out a smile and then walked out of the forest. He was still shaking.

The sky was darker than night. The fire was still going but was dimming as bits of snow fell on it. I shivered and rubbed my hands together.

"You need to eat," he ordered as he took out a few fish he had caught out of a small net. "I would cook the fish for you but I don't know how."

His light mood had completely vanished. He gave me the angry look he had given me this morning. "Sorry you had to witness that. As you can tell, I don't get along very well with Jacob Black."

"You both were going to fight." It wasn't a question.

"I would try very hard not to do that. Carlisle wouldn't be happy about it at all."

We were silent for a few moments as I tried to fry the fish. He stood in front of me. His eyes were troubled as he stared in to the forest. I wondered what he was thinking about.

I was caught up in my own thoughts as well. Strange as it seemed, I thought Edward and Jacob were trying to protect me from each other but I couldn't think about that now.

I thought about what Jacob had told me earlier. Could the Cullens actually be vampires? I knew they were some thing. They were some thing more than human. I listed every thing Jacob had told me. They drank blood but not from humans and were cold skinned. They hated werewolves and were immortal. Then I listed every thing that I had observed – the color shifting of Edward's eyes, the speed that he moved in, his inhuman strength, his beauty, the fact that he never wanted to eat, and the way he talked.

I thought about the time he had told me that he was dangerous. It seemed that every time the wind blew towards him, he would freeze and would stay far from me. He would become rigid. A light bulb clicked on top of my head. I was tempting Edward. What else would cause him to become so rigid?

I felt a huge lump in my throat. Jacob wasn't joking. Edward was a vampire and he thirsted for my blood. Common sense told me to be afraid and to stay away from him but I didn't feel afraid. I felt pain as I thought about that. It was strange for me to feel so safe with a person that I knew nothing about. It felt strange that I thought I would be in danger if I was away from him. I was too used to this magnificent creature standing near me. I had never known any one like him before and knew that Edward was one of a kind.

I had no idea what I was doing when Edward suddenly turned around and pulled the fish out of my hand. "Bella," he started with a pained expression on his face. "you need to watch what you're doing. I won't always be there to protect you."

"What happened?"

"I saw you very nearly burn your hand. You weren't paying any attention to the fish were you?"

"No. Some thing else was on my mind. Edward, Jacob told me –"

"I know what Jacob Black told you and you have the right to be afraid of me."

For some reason, his words made me feel saddened. "That's quite an assumption."

He frowned at me and his voice turned in to a snarl. "You don't feel afraid?"

"No. How did you know what Jacob told me any way?"

"He's easy to read and don't change the subject, Bella. You should be afraid of the fact that I'm a monster."

"It doesn't matter to me what you are." My voice was a choked whisper.

He was definitely enraged now as anger flashed in his golden eyes. "It doesn't matter? It doesn't matter to you if I'm a blood sucking monster?"

"No."

"And you're not afraid at all? Don't you realize that I could kill you this very instant? You tempt me, Bella. You tempt me more than any one has ever had."

"What?" I didn't understand very well at what he meant.

"You have the sweetest blood I have ever smelled. I didn't know such a scent could ever exist."

I felt my self go rigid. He shook my shoulders to loosen the grasp I had on my self. "But I'm trying my hardest not to hurt you."

His face was cold but I could see a hint of pain in it. "I'm not thirsty at all. I hunted after I caught the fish. Jacob may have told you that I didn't hunt humans but that doesn't change the fact that I'm dangerous especially to you."

I had no idea what to say to that so I continued on with my thoughts out loud. "I'm curious," I mused.

He was suddenly calm. "About what?"

"I just know the basic stereotypes about vampires and don't laugh if I say any thing stupid."

He laughed any way. "Go on."

"Do you live in Bergen because it's sunless? You would rather come out during the day than get burned by the sun?"

"You are partially correct. Getting incinerated by the sun is only a myth. The sun can't actually hurt us but it does do some thing else. It's not some thing a human would find normal if he or she saw us walking outside while the sun was shining."

The way he worded that made me feel excited. "What happens?"

"If it sunny here in Bergen, you'll see," he smiled.

"What about sleeping in coffins?"

He tore his gaze away from me and stared at the ground. "We can't sleep at all," he whispered.

He felt pained as if there were times where he felt the need to sleep. "If you can't sleep, don't you ever get bored?"

"I get bored all the time. You don't know how tired you can get from never sleeping for so many years. It feels tedious."

He looked up at me and flashed a wide grin. His mood changes always left me a step behind. A moment ago, he was furious at me and now he was smiling.

"You don't have fangs do you?"

He shook his head as he tried to hide is laughter.

"Can you turn in to a bat?" I asked seriously.

At this, he burst out laughing. It sounded like music to my ears. "Those are all myths, Bella."

I decided to ask him a question about Jacob. "Why do you hate Jacob?"

"It's because of what he is." He said this dryly.

"I don't understand."

"I don't want to see you hurt. It made me feel anxious when you're alone with no one there to watch after you. It seems to me that you are a danger magnet."

He started to snarl every thing he was saying. "First with those men, then the tank, and now Jacob, I'm surprised you don't have a body guard."

I felt confused again. "What's wrong with Jacob?"

"It seems to me that you have a pull on mythical creatures as well. First, it's a vampire and now it's a werewolf.


	10. Chapter 10 dream

**I made this chapter long. Enjoy and review. **

**Disclaimer – all the characters except for the ones I made up belong to the fantastic Stephenie Meyer so do the books**

Realization hit me so hard that I could feel my self falling. Jacob was a werewolf and was an enemy of Edward? I tried to stay calm, taking small even breaths. My hands were trembling. I shook my head furiously, trying to get rid of this nightmare. My family friend and the incredible boy who had saved my life so many times loathed each other and I was in the midst of all of this.

How was this even possible? Could mythical creatures actually exist? Were there any other ones besides the vampires and the werewolves?

I wanted to scream and run. Why couldn't I comprehend the fact that Jacob was a werewolf since I had accepted Edward as a vampire? I was calm just a few minutes before but now I was going in to a panic.

Realization hit me again. I accepted Edward for what he was because I had expected him to be beyond the extraordinaire. I would have felt surprised if he wasn't some thing because he obviously was and I knew this as soon as he had saved me the first time. It was easy to comprehend with Edward but difficult with Jacob. He had been my friend ever since we were little. I had never expected him to be any thing but a friend but now it was different. I had visualized Jacob differently than what I was seeing now. It was hard for me to comprehend because I was too stubborn to accept the fact that Jacob could be some thing.

Why was I even feeling afraid? I hadn't known them for very long. It was just the fact that I was a mere human who knew their secrets. I would have to let it go and pretend that none of this had ever happened.

"Bella?" Edward asked as he broke me out of my reverie. "Are you all right?"

I decided to go with the truth. "No."

He laughed quietly beside me. "I'm surprised. You're taking this news extremely well."

"No, I'm not. How could this be? I've known Jacob for so long. I didn't expect it to be like this."

I could feel my chest about to explode. First, I was hiding in a forest while the battle was raging and I knew two very dangerous creatures who wanted to destroy each other.

"A lot of the things we expect never happen. Fate enjoys playing tricks with us. Bella, I don't think you have to worry about any thing at the moment. Just please don't let any one know about our secrets."

I nodded helplessly. "How did you find out about Jacob any way?"

He looked away in to the trees as he tried to decide whether to tell me. "I don't prefer talking about it. It was an incident that made me feel very weak."

I didn't want him to tell me some thing that made him feel uncomfortable. "You don't have to tell me."

He turned back to me with troubled eyes. His expression was pained and so beautiful that I had the urge to wipe it away. His golden eyes scattered my thoughts again but I felt glad that I didn't need to speak since he was intending to reply to me.

"It was a few weeks ago. Jacob is a new born werewolf and he has difficulty controlling his temper when some thing angers him. That's how all new born werewolves are. I was hunting in the forest with my family when he attacked me. I hadn't hunted for two weeks so my thirst was not satiated. I couldn't fight him so Emmett was had to pull him off of me."

I could tell that he didn't want to say any more on the subject. We stared at each other for an immeasurable moment before he suddenly continued. "I wanted to go fight him after hunting but Carlisle's face stopped me. Jacob was still in a way a human. So I didn't do it because I didn't want my father figure to lose his faith in me and for ethical reasons."

I felt awe for this fantastic creature sitting next to me while I loathed Jacob for a tiny moment. It wasn't his fault that he had trouble controlling his temper. He was like all new born werewolves.

I yawned involuntarily and Edward flashed a smile. "I think it's time for you to sleep but finish eating first."

I realized that I was starving but didn't eat any thing since I had forgotten my hunger. It felt great to talk to Edward.

He watched me with a disgusted expression as I pulled the fins, tail, and the head off. I was glad that I could cook and was used to eating fish or else I would have lost my appetite.

"How could you eat that?" he asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose as if he smelled some thing bad.

"What? Don't you remember eating food in your human life?"

"Vaguely. Human food is so repulsive."

I laughed at him. "And drinking blood isn't?"

He gave me a teasing outraged expression. "I didn't expect that from you Bella."

"I can be funny from time to time."

"It wasn't funny." He was still giving me a joking glare.

I smiled widely at his expression. "It was and you know it."

As I ate, he asked me about my life with Renée. I was missing her very much and wondered if Charlie had told her about the crisis we were in. She was my best friend.

"You must love your mother very much," he concluded.

"I do."

I pulled my self up from the log and looked at the mess that were my hands. "Do you know any place where I can wash my hands?"

He grabbed my water bottle that I had bought in the cafeteria at school and then went to the back of the car and opened up the trunk. Before he did any thing else, he handed me back my bottle to drink from it. I was surprised to see how thirsty I was. I handed it back to him as he pulled out a purple long sleeved collared shirt, a white sweater, and a pair of jeans.

"You need to change. Alice gave me a list of things to buy when I was out of town. The majority of them are clothes and she gave me permission to let you wear them. There is a portable rest room near the well where you can wash your hands."

What would a portable restroom be doing here in the middle of a forest?

Edward smiled as if he could read my mind. "Since there is a grave yard near by, people come to put there beloved ones to rest here and some times they're out here for so long that they might have the need to use a restroom."

I nodded as he slammed the trunk shut quietly. Then, I followed him deeper in to the forest. The trees looked as if they were hands waiting to grab us. I didn't feel afraid. I knew I would feel protected and fine during this situation if Edward was there for me. We walked silently side by side. I could see the well. It was made out of gray stones and was destroyed in several places.

Edward reeled up the bucket for me. I was surprised that the water hadn't frozen in to ice. He poured out the water slowly on to my hands as I rinsed them. I was also shocked that the water wasn't colder than Edward's hands.

He handed me the clothes and I locked my self in to the bath room. After I was finished, I walked out and saw Edward leaning against a tree staring at me. "You look very nice."

I blushed heavily and thought I heard a low chuckle. He held up the bottle for me. "I filled it up for you."

"Thanks," I muttered as I took the bottle.

We walked back silently as we had come. He stood very close to me. He was looking down with a slight frown on his face and his hands were in the front pocket of his pants. I kept on nervously thinking what he would be doing while I was asleep. I didn't want him to watch me since I would feel too self conscious. Also, I had a tendency to talk while I was asleep and I had no intention of letting Edward hear what I would be saying.

He put my clothes in to a plastic bag but handed me my jacket. "Wear this."

Then, he started to shrug out of his leather jacket. I watched him and never realized what he had been wearing. It was different from what he had worn this morning. I looked at him and noticed that he had a perfect musculature.

I ogled at him as he opened the door to the back seat of the Mercedes. I got in and sat down. Edward leaned toward me and tucked his jacket all around me. I could feel my heart beating erratically. The look on his face confirmed that he could hear it. I hadn't expected him to get so close. He made sure that I was tucked in completely and comfortably. He pulled away and gave me his beautiful crooked smile.

"Good night," he whispered in to my face. "Sleep well."

His cool breath blew in to my face and a scent so luxurious came off of him. It was better than any perfume and so sweet that my head started to spin. He closed the door softly and sat against a tree. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, lost in thought.

His jacket was cold and his fantastic scent lingered on it.

I closed my eyes and instantly fell asleep.

I opened my eyes and looked around were I was. I knew some where in my mind that I was dreaming. I looked around me and recognized the forest. Near by, I could hear a soft ripping sound. It sounded like a growl in a way. I followed the sound as if it was trying to lure me in. I walked deeper in to the forest where the trees were getting very heavy. It was so dark that I thought I was blinded but the sound lured me in. I walked for so long that my knees were feeling weak. I stumbled and tripped my way in. I fell several times and was covered in mud. I thought about how I would get back out and when I would have to stop walking. Suddenly, the ripping sound became louder and I could see a faint light from the breaking in the trees.

As I approached the light, I found my self in a big green field that was hilly. It was still night time and the stars were glistening in the sky. What I saw in front of me made my insides twist. Edward was standing with his fists clenched and his arms in front of his face. His legs were spread and he looked furious. He was positioning him self to fight. I turned my head and saw the person he was about to fight. Jacob was standing several feet away from him and was crouched, ready to pounce at Edward. He was shaking badly and I could feel my self going towards them. I wanted them to stop what they were about to do.

Before I could get any closer, I felt some one tugging on my arm. I looked around to see Jessica. She looked terrified. "Bella, you have to leave. It's not safe here."

"I can't," I whispered. I turned to look back at Edward and Jacob and ignored the tugging.

Suddenly Jacob's shaking figure exploded and became a huge brown wolf. I had a lump in my throat but I didn't feel very scared for some reason. He lunged at Edward and they started to fight. As I watched, I could clearly tell that Jacob was becoming weak.

Jessica pulled harder. "Bella, listen to me. You have to move. It's dangerous here."

I turned around but some thing else was pulling on my arm now. I turned around and saw Edward looking at me with a strange glint in his eyes. They were no longer gold. They were coal black and he looked dangerous. A few feet from him was an unconscious Jacob.

Edward smiled at me and I noticed that four of his teeth were sharp and pointed. They were fangs. He griped my arm harder and it was painful. I could see my hand turning red.

"Stay," he commanded. His voice was quiet and like velvet but had a small snarl to it.

From behind, I saw Jacob pounce on him. He fell and his nails scratched against my arm. I could feel the nausea coming as the blood spread over my arm.

Edward looked at me with a wicked glint in his eyes.


	11. Chapter 11 unwanted surprise

**I just wanted to say that the dream did not end during the last chapter. it ends in this chapter. I think this is a good chapter and has a bit of angst in it. enjoy.**

**Disclaimer – the characters belong Stephenie Meyer and so do the books. The other characters that aren't in her books belong to me.**

He looked in to my eyes and the only emotion I saw in them was hunger. He inhaled sharply through his nose, taking in my scent. I stood there frozen.

"Delicious," he purred.

Before Jacob could hurl him to the ground again, I saw Emmett run out of the trees and pin Jacob down in a mere few seconds. Edward didn't turn around as Jacob's werewolf form struggled against Emmett's massive strength.

The blood had started to spread even farther. The long sleeve of my shirt was tattered with blood. Jessica stood behind me as if she was frozen solid. Fear widened her eyes. Edward's eyes moved from my own to my arm and lingered there.

I quickly thought of the ways he could spare me but I couldn't come up with any. I would kneel down and beg for my life. I tried to kneel but my legs wouldn't move. It was going to end. Before my brain caught up with my instincts, I turned around to run but there would be no use. He would catch up with me in less than a second.

I turned around to run and wasn't surprised when some thing hard as marble hurled me to the ground.

"No!" I screamed as I jumped up right.

Edward's jacket fell to the floor of the car and I quickly pulled it up. I looked at my hands that were red and were shaking violently. I felt my face with my trembling hands to find a small layer sweat covering my face. I looked at my messy self in the rear view mirror. I was clearly stressed. There were dark circles under my eyes and my cheeks were paler than before.

Even though it was freezing, I felt oddly hot and uncomfortable in the car. I looked out side and was surprised to see it was already dawn.

Out of nowhere, Edward came out and wrenched the car door open. The cold air and slight rain helped wash away the visions that were still on my mind.

"Bella, I heard you scream. Are you all right?" he asked. There was genuine concern on his face.

I couldn't possible have such horrible nightmare on the creature standing over me. I was thinking too much on what he was. It doesn't matter, I repeated to my self.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just having a terrible nightmare," I explained truthfully.

"I suppose the stress of our situation is getting to you," he mused.

"May be," I said thoughtfully.

That had to be it. The stress was now getting to me and I was thinking about the worst possible out come. I couldn't lie to my self. It was a possibility that Edward could kill me.

"If you don't mind me asking, what were you dreaming about? I saw you tossing and turning in your sleep but I didn't think it would be the best idea to wake you."

I thought about it. Should I tell him the truth or a lie? He was concerned for me and only wanted to give me some reassurance.

"If you don't want to tell me, I'm perfectly fine with it," he said gently with a small smile. His eyes turned soft.

I stared at him. He was not the beast in my dream. The beast may have been like him physically but it was certainly not him. Edward was an angel.

I smiled at him. The emotion in his golden topaz eyes had given me confidence. "It was a dream about a vampire and a werewolf. The werewolf was Jacob but the vampire wasn't you. It may have looked exactly like you but that couldn't possibly be you."

He had become stiff and there was no emotion in his voice. "I attacked you, didn't I?"

I barely nodded my head. "But I wouldn't say that the vampire was you."

"Bella, I was once the monster you saw in your dream. I'm glad you had you're your subconscious is telling you to be careful of me because we all make mistakes."

My face fell from the sadness. "Mistakes?"

"Allowing my self to be alone with you is a very dangerous mistake on my part."

"Oh." I could think of nothing else to say.

I dropped my eyes to the floor. I didn't want him to see the sadness in them.

"But this may just be the beginning though. I haven't killed innocents yet, but that doesn't mean that I might start just by hurting you. I try very hard to control my self but it's very hard to resist some times. You should be most careful of me," he went on in a cold tone.

I looked back at him, sure that my face was clear of all emotions. He was serious about every thing he was saying but for some strange reason, I didn't feel fearful at all.

"You don't seem afraid," he observed. His eyes narrowed and his mouth turned down in to a grimace.

"I'm not."

"Why?" He seemed bothered by my reaction. "How can you take this so coolly?"

I shrugged. "I guess it seems quite reasonable."

He laughed coldly without humor. His face was hard as stone. "Listen to what your mind has to say. I'm not as strong as you think I am."

"I wouldn't be able to bear it if I hurt you in any way, Bella," he added softly.

Then, he leaned away and pulled up some thing off of the ground. It was a plastic bag.

"Personal hygiene products for the human," he explained and the atmosphere suddenly lightened.

"Thanks," I muttered gratefully as I took the bag from him.

Then some thing dawned on me. "Where did you get them?"

'There's a store near by."

My mouth fell open in shock. "Some one could have seen you."

He smirked at my expression and sounded smug. "If you could sprint as fast as I do, you would blur. Your human eyes aren't capable of seeing me when I blur and don't forget that I'm immortal. If any one targeted a gun at me, I would just probably be able to walk away."

I sighed. "I should pay you back though. You didn't have to do this for me you know."

"No. I wanted to do this for you though and you don't have to pay me back," he said with his hands raised.

"But I want to."

His voice had a mocking edge to it now. "If you stay alive by the end of this unwanted battle, I'll let you."

I ignored the last comment and stepped out of the car. He moved away to give me room. I handed him his jacket, taking one last inconspicuous whiff of his scent. He put it on neatly around him self as I headed for the well with the bottle of water he had filled up for me the night before.

"Do you want me to go with you? I don't want you face any peril."

I gritted my teeth and my voice sounded sarcastic. "No thanks. I think I'll be okay."

He didn't always have to watch over me. I wasn't that clumsy.

I could feel his eyes lingering on my back as I walked away feeling, a secret twinge of smugness. I noted that the well didn't seem too far from the car in the mornings.

I brushed my teeth carefully and rinsed my mouth. I combed my hair and every bit of personal sanitation I could get done.

I headed back up to the car, humming tunelessly to my self. I unscrewed the lid of the bottle and took several sips of the water. I felt my throat become dry and took more sips to moisten it. Slowly, every thing that surrounded me started to spin. I looked carefully in front of me and saw that Edward was standing next to the Mercedes and was watching me intently. His hands were clenched tightly and he was still as stone. I couldn't read the expression on his face. I took even more sips of the water but it didn't help. I was starting to think that it was the water that was dehydrating me. Every thing started to spin faster as I became dizzier.

Some where in the distance, I heard some one speaking in a language I didn't understand. It was coming from the sky. I tried to look up and saw a man in a helicopter yelling out something through speakers.

"Bella, don't drink the water. It's been spiked with poison," he yelled frantically. There was agony in his beautiful voice.

I couldn't stand up any longer and felt my self falling. I hit my head hard against a grave stone and could hear some one approaching me. The blood welled over and covered my head. I could feel the nausea coming.

I couldn't feel the cold ground any more as Edward pulled me up in to his arms. My head was cradled against his chest. He caught his breath in horror since my blood was now in the open. I could feel my self become weak and couldn't open my eyes any more.

He started to cry tearlessly and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Bella. Please don't die."

**please read and review. i think the next chapter will be in Edward's point of view and I wanted to clarify that he is not trying to kill Bella. He didn't know that there was some thing in the water.**


	12. Chapter 12 deaths

**sorry for the short chapter and it's in Edward's POV. the next one will be a lot longer.**

**Disclaimer – all the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer and so do the books. every other character belongs to me.**

As I pulled her up in to my arms, I could feel a very unusual warmth radiating from her skin. That felt odd. My only presumption was that she had a very high fever. The scent of her blood dazed me and I fought the urge to drink from her right then. Her scent seemed much more tangible now that her blood was openly available. I stopped the flow of oxygen in to my lungs and it gave me an outlandish sensation. It felt uncomfortable not to breathe. I relied on my sense of smell too much during times of crises such as this.

I walked her swiftly to my car, careful not to breathe in her heady scent.

Bella had her eyes closed tightly as if she was thinking very hard. Once again, I tried to render her thoughts, the inner workings of her mind. Still, I came up with nothing. It was unbelievably frustrating. How was this even possible? If I could read every one else's thoughts, then why not hers? What was it about her that made her a mystery?

She had her lips lightly parted as she weakly tried to take in oxygen but I could understand the fact that she was failing. She had her pale hands balled up in to small fists as she tried very hard to fight the nausea and the poison. I felt utterly sympathetic towards her.

I opened the door to the passenger side of the car and set her down cautiously on to the seat. Bella rested her head delicately on her right shoulder as I pulled off my jacket and tucked it all around her. If she had caught a fever, I wouldn't let her catch any thing else. As I shut the door softly and walked around the front to the other side, I mentally kicked my self for giving her my jacket. No doubt she would feel even sicker if my unnatural coolness was transferred in to it.

I put the key in to the ignition and started the car. I put the heater up on high with the intention of keeping Bella warm and out of death's way. I drove quite quickly away from the forest, nearing the city limits in to Bergen.. The memories I had of Bella in the grave yard would forever haunt me. I looked straight ahead at nothing in particular. Why had it been her that was stuck in this moment of crisis with me? Why had she been in so much danger in the last two days? What had she done?

May be she wasn't being punished. It was probably the time for me to compensate for my sins. She was going to be my own demon here to show me what life was actually like.

Why had the man in the helicopter chosen the moment Bella drank the water to let the citizens know there was poison in the water system? Had I committed such absurd sins that the one human who had actually meant some thing to me in this existence was hurt and was causing me physical pain? As the heater blew her scent in my direction, I could just taste her and I felt ashamed to admit that if I were to drink from her, I would feel satisfied and pleasure.

"No!" my mind roared. I would not let the monster that had killed so many people return, not for some feeble human. I couldn't kill her. If only I could open the window, the wind would be able to clear the revolting argument my mind was having.

Bella faintly moved her head toward me and saw that I was now watching her. After she saw the hatred radiating from my face, she pulled her eyes down. I clamped my hands on the steering wheel as hard as possible as I fought the monster that could kill her at any instant.

I needed a distraction from her. As if on cue, my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I looked at the caller ID for a moment before hit send.

"Hello, Alice," I said dryly.

"How's Bella doing? I saw her drink the water and hit her head," she explained. I could hear the panic in her voice.

"Did you see any thing else?" I whispered too low and fast for Bella to hear.

She knew what I had meant. "You're not going to kill her."

I sighed in relief. It was good to know that I wouldn't let the monster out so easily after all the years I had tried to get rid of it.

"Take her to Carlisle. He'll know what to do and Bella's father is there as well."

We were now entering the city. I looked around me and didn't know when I had shut off the power to the phone. There were several funeral marches taking place all around us. I saw so many coffins headed toward the cemetery, it was impossible to count. The humans cried silently as they walked through the streets in this unbearably cold weather. Snow fell slowly from the sky, making the city look like a winter wonder land. I couldn't tell if the bodies were killed from the battle or the poison.

There would be no possible way for me to reach Carlisle. The Ambassador's office was all the way on the other side of the city. If I took both of us there, it would be too chaotic. Carlisle would be too busy as he would be trying very hard to treat every one who had drunk the water. I started to feel panic as Bella's breathing slowed and could not think of any solution for her. She was dying.

**did I do well with Edward's POV? let me know if I made him ooc.**


	13. Chapter 13 Ahana

**this chapter is also in Edward's POV and thanks for the terrific reviews and advice. continue reading.**

**Disclaimer – all the characters and books belong to Stephenie Meyer except for the ones made up by me.**

I gave Bella a quick, reassuring glance and opened the car door to get some fresh air. The cold rush of the air would let me think coherently. I would find a way to get her back to her family alive. When Alice had called me the first time, she had told me that I would have to change her. I shuddered away from that idea.

I would never do that to Bella. I couldn't take away her soul and doom her to a dreary eternity of night. She would despise me. I would never be able to live with my self if Bella became the monster I was. I wouldn't let her live a life based on denial. There had to be another alternative. Bella couldn't die. I wouldn't let her. She was fighting and I would make her continue.

I wanted to ask Alice how much time Bella had left before she lost consciousness. As I was about to call Alice, some one tapped my shoulder very lightly.

I turned around to face a young woman with short black hair. She looked at me as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. I was almost certain I had seen her some where before but the only person on my mind was Bella.

_I can't believe it's Edward Cullen. When did he get here?_

"Hey, Edward. I'm Ahana as I'm sure you know. What are you doing here?"

Why had she chosen this moment to make conversation? Couldn't she see the anxiety on my face? As I listened to her voice, I immediately recognized her as Dr. Desai's Indian daughter.

"I returned yesterday but it's not the time to talk about that."

Her eyes seemed flustered and distant as she looked at me. _I've never seen any one so handsome. If only he would give me some attention, I would be able to explain to him how much I like him._

"Ahana?" I called her back to reality.

"Huh?"

I leaned towards her as if trying to stare deeply in to her eyes. It was a bit difficult since they were so dull but I knew how to dazzle people when I wanted to. Her heart started to beat erratically as her thoughts scattered.

_Did he just look at me like that?_

"What would you like, Edward?"

"Is your father home?" I asked softly, not trying to make her feel insulted.

Her father was an experienced doctor and didn't live far from here. He would be able to aid Bella.

She looked at me incredulously as surprise flitted across her face. That was not the question she had expected. "I have a friend in the car and she's very ill. I was wondering if your father would be able to treat her."

She scowled as I said the word 'her.'

"Oh," she replied unhappily.

I tried to sound charming but it was so hard when I had too much on my mind. "We wouldn't be any trouble. She's Ambassador Swan's daughter and I had promised that I would get her home safely but on the way she drank the poisoned water. I really need your help, Ahana."

_I don't know. He seems so sincere but dad might not be glad to see unexpected visitors._

I resorted to pleading and made my voice as persuasive and coercive as I possibly could. "Please," I whispered. "She's dying and I'm willing to pay any amount for her care."

_He cares for her so much and he's willing to pay. _ "How much?"

I pulled out my wallet from my pocket and handed her all the bills inside. Her breathing hitched as she took in the paper bill. Her eyes shined and I knew that look. It was greed but I didn't care any more. All I wanted was for Bella to be healed and all right. I was willing to give up any thing for that.

"I don't think it's enough." I didn't miss the fact that she was eyeing the car very carefully.

"I'm even willing to give up the Mercedes," I said dryly.

_Oh, wow! He's willing to give up his car for this girl. _

She didn't bother to hide the excitement in her voice as she squealed. I winced as the aggravating sound had almost impaired my hearing. Then, she gave me directions to her house. She would let her father know that I was arriving and I would have to leave the car in front of her garage.

"Thanks," I replied as I flashed my teeth carefully, giving her a false smile.

Her mouth fell open. _I feel like I'm about to faint. He couldn't have possibly smiled at me like that. May be, Ambassador Swan's daughter is only just a friend and nothing else._

_I'll show him what I'm capable of when we all get the chance to return to school. He's such a gentleman._

I tried very hard to hide my smile as I heard that. Her thoughts were very unoriginal exactly like every other person's. They were starting to unnerve me. I would have to find a way to get her to forget her infatuation over me.

I opened the door to the car and made my in to the driver's seat. Bella turned around and gave me a small, weak smile. I couldn't help but smile back. I wouldn't give up my perseverance.

The feelings of weakness and guilt flowed through my body as I cut off my breathing. I wouldn't kill her because there was a choice for me. There had to be one. I felt confident that I would not hurt her any more but this didn't stop the feeling of guilt. It was my mistake of giving Bella the water. Why had I done it? Not only did I feel mad at my self but at Alice and the man in the helicopter. Couldn't Alice have called me once she had seen her vision? Couldn't that man have announced that the water was laced earlier instead of a day later when so many humans were dying? I knew my hatred was sophistry but I couldn't help feeling it.

As I drove through the dead streets to Dr. Desai's house, I could see from my peripheral vision that Bella had tears in her eyes. Was she feeling that much physical pain? I longed to comfort her.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I asked apprehensively.

"All those people…" Her voice was choked and was no louder than a whisper.

I felt astonished to find out that she wasn't crying for her self but for all the people who had lost the ones they had loved. How selfless. "It's upsetting, I know."

Bella's tone startled me. She was speaking through her teeth. "What have they done to deserve that? Why do people have to lose their loved ones? Why do we have to die at all?"

Her last question astounded me. "Do you mean that as a rhetorical question?"

"No. I'm asking you," she said seriously but feebly.

I gave her a quick look, wondering why she was thinking about that. "I honestly don't know, Bella. I suppose that's how life works. I think there is a perfectly good reason but I'm not very aware of it yet," I explained. I had wondered about that question when I was just a new born vampire. It had tormented me to no end.

"No wonder people fear death. It's so painful."

I could hear the double meaning in her words. I clasped my teeth tightly before I said any thing I would regret.

"Bella, you're not dying and you're not experiencing death."

She looked at me in awed surprise. "How do you know?"

I sighed. "I have experienced death before. It was a long time ago. In fact, I've experienced some thing that's much worse than death."

She continued to look at me curiously with wide eyes. "Is that even possible?"

I turned to her and gave her a slight smile. "For me, it was possible."

Her eyes, full of depth, grew even wider and I was glad that I knew what she had been thinking for the first time.

"I suppose you want to know. I might tell you once you've healed," I said as I pulled the car on to the drive way. This was the last time I would ever get to drive my car again. I mentally sighed as I thought about that.

Bella closed her eyes as if she was in deep thought but she looked peaceful. I left the car and went to the other side to unbuckle Bella. As I pulled Bella gently in to my arms, I noticed Dr. Desai holding the front door open. All of a sudden, some thing red, looking hideously like blood, spewed out of Bella's mouth and permanently stained her clothes. The sweet scent burned my throat and I immediately held my breath. I couldn't do any thing rash here.

"I can't believe it. She's coughing up blood," Dr. Desai yelled warily. "It seems that the poison has gotten too far in to her system."

I felt my stomach drop.


	14. Chapter 14 aid

**thanks every one to the awesome reviews. some one had a question about the Mercedes belonging to Carlisle. Since this is an AU story, Edward owns a Mercedes like Carlisle. also, I made a few changes to the last chapter. there aren't too many but if you can reread it. keep reading.**

**Disclaimer – the characters except for the ones I made up belong to Stephenie Meyer. Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse does too **

I forced my self not to breathe. The relief I felt wasn't spontaneous but it didn't feel terrible either. Bella's scent still lingered in my memory and I would never be able to forget such a scent. She was weaker than any human I had ever met so I had to be very careful with her.

"Edward, take her to the upstairs bedroom with the open door. Lay her on the bed once you get there," Dr. Desai commanded.

I nodded my head curtly. The memory of her scent was luring me in. I wanted so badly to breathe but I couldn't do any thing to expose my self here. Cutting off the air in my lungs brought me relief but it felt so uncomfortable.

As I carried her up to the bedroom, I tried very not to look at Bella's face. I would have broken down at any moment. She was unconscious but looked as if she was at peace. It was as if she wanted death to come and take her away from me. This thought was unbearable.

I could hear Dr. Desai's footsteps as he followed me slowly up the stair case.

"Who is she?" he asked.

"Her name is Isabella Swan," I replied.

I heard him catch his breath as he heard the name. _She's Ambassador Swan's daughter? I thought she was going to get here next week._

Once I approached the room, I laid her carefully on the bed in the center of the room. I didn't look at Dr. Desai's face as he immediately began to examine Bella's face.

"She will be all right, won't she?" I heard my voice break twice.

"I'm sorry Edward. I can't say any thing yet. The poison is making her very weak but on a good note, I can say that she is fighting for her life. This is why she was coughing up the blood. She's trying to get the poison out of her system."

I could feel his gaze on my face as he talked but I couldn't look at me. He would be able to see the hunger and hatred at was emanating from the monster that I was. It was unjust and wasn't meant for him.

I watched Bella breathing in heavily and ignored Dr. Desai's examination completely. It wasn't as if I was surprised with any thing he was doing. After all, I had two degrees in medicine but wasn't as strong enough around blood to practice. I subconsciously smirked but returned my thoughts to Bella. She was in so much pain that it hurt me to look at her. Did I want her to stay this way? I didn't have a choice when Carlisle had changed me. My life was over. I was dying but so was Bella. Didn't she have a choice?

As this internal battle continued to torment me, Dr. Desai's other daughter, Alliya, brought a large azure bucket filled with water in to the room. She began to dab off the blood on Bella's face. I watched her do so as the red eyed monster started to regain consciousness. My throat burned with the thirst that was over powering me.

As Alliya finished, Bella looked as if she was just having peaceful dreams. It was as if there had been no blood there in the first place. When she walked away with the bloody cloths, I heard her repulsive thoughts.

_Ahana was right about him. He's very handsome. I think I may have a chance._

Why did she have to think these thoughts right now? Couldn't she realize the stress of our situation?

She looked at me as she walked out the door. I could feel the apt detestation that was radiating from my expression as I met her gaze. She was startled and looked down quickly.

_Why'd he look at me like that? Doesn't he like me? _

I wanted to sit her down and explain to her how unappealing to me she and all the other humans were. This would end her ridiculous day dreams and her ludicrous thoughts. She and her sister would have to stop fantasizing about me. It was sick. I had no right to but I couldn't help wondering if Bella thought about me this way. I hoped that her thoughts weren't unoriginal and petty like every one else's. I had a feeling that I wasn't wrong. The thought almost brought a smile to my face.

Dr. Desai called back my attention. "Edward, right now it seems that her body temperature is abnormally low."

He motioned to me to feel Bella's hand. As I touched her, I noticed that her hands were as icy as mine.

I looked at Dr. Desai with wide eyes. "I'm supposing she has hypothermia?"

He was startled by the concern in my eyes and voice. "Yes, that's what I'm thinking but I can't be sure until I take her temperature."

At that moment, Ahana came in to the room with Dr. Desai's bag. He pulled out the thermometer and checked her temperature. All the while, Ahana was eyeing me curiously, trying to gauge a reaction. Apparently, Alliya had told her about my temper. I internally sighed, frustrated. When Dr. Desai was complete, he looked at the screen of the battery powered thermometer.

He wasn't surprised. "Just as I suspected. This is very good news for her, Edward. The hypothermia may be able to work to her advantage. It may be able to freeze off the poison."

"Is the poison weakening?"

He smiled at me. "Yes. She should have enough strength to move. We should leave her alone while she cleans her self up. My daughters will be able to give her clothes to wear. We'll let her rest after that but I must warn you that she shouldn't sleep deeply. If she sleeps too much, she might not wake up ever again. She is still very sick and I want you to take her to a hospital as soon as you can."

I nodded at him helplessly. The thought of Bella not existing was so painful that it ripped apart my frozen heart.

"Let's give her some privacy," he suggested.

I made my way down the stairs, following Dr. Desai. He gave his daughters a stern look. "I need for you two to get Isabella some warm clothes to wear."

I was appalled to see genuine concern on the girls' faces. "Dad, will she be fine?"

"Yes, girls."

As Ahana and Alliya filed out of the room, I couldn't help but notice the grand piano in their living room. Dr. Desai noticed me eyeing it. "Do you play?"

I pulled my eyes away from the ebony piano. It looked as if it had never been touched. I smiled slightly at him. The stress I was feeling wasn't completely relieved but as long as I was able to keep my promise to Bella, I would keep the smile in place. "Yes, I do."

"Why don't you play for us?"

I pulled out a sheet of paper from the pocket of my jacket. I had written this composition the night before while Bella had been asleep. I sat down on the seat and poured out my heart in to the music as it flowed through the room. Dr. Desai looked at me as if he didn't comprehend what he was hearing. I chuckled slightly as I heard his thoughts scramble. It wasn't the first time my music did that. My hands lingered on the keys fluidly but rapidly. If Dr. Desai was watching my hands, they would be a blur.

Playing the piano was the one way I would be able to express my secluded thoughts. I would always express my thoughts through song when I had too many thoughts clouding my mind. I turned my head around and saw Ahana, Alliya, and Bella watching me from the top of the stair case with clear, extractable expressions. They all were awed by my expertise in music. I watched Bella surreptitiously but carefully. I didn't want to give her a chance to fall and hurt her self. She realized this and grabbed hold of the rail firmly.

When I was complete, four people clapped for me exuberantly.

"That was awesome!" _Wow! What is he not good at?_

_He's perfect in every way._

I was tired of listening to Ahana and Alliya's thoughts so I decided that it would be best if I ignored them wholly.

"You're a fantastic player. Keep it up."

The last comment came from Bella. "You're wonderful, Edward. That was beautiful." Then, the tears poured down her face.

I felt very anxious. Was she feeling pain? I quickly made my way up the stair case. "Bella, are you feeling hurt?"

She shook her head and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "No. It was your music. I've never heard any thing so melodic before."

A smile was tugging the corner of my mouth. I pulled my mouth up crookedly and her heart started to beat quite rapidly. The look on her face was priceless as she noticed that I could hear her heart beating. Blood colored her cheeks and painted it the most delicious color I had ever seen. I chuckled while she shot me a scowl.

"Bella, you need to rest," I said in a voice full of authority.

She walked up the stairs slowly. I always stayed behind her in case she fell. Alliya was already in the bed room, pulling the blanket back. While Bella rested her head, Alliya tucked the hefty blanket around her securely. When she slipped out quietly, I sat my self at the foot of the bed.

"Bella, are you feeling all right?"

She nodded at me with a small, weak smile.

I returned it as naturally as I could. "Well, that's good. Sleep for a while but don't fall in to a deep sleep. I'll have to make sure of that."

She raised an eyebrow bemusedly. "I'm not feeling tired."

"Try," I encouraged.

As I used the full force of my eyes on her, her heart started to beat quickly again. Hesitantly, I brushed her hair away from her cheek. The sensation on my hand her warm skin had left was incredible. The furious blush on her cheeks gave away the fact that she was feeling the same way.

"Sleep now, Bella."

She closed her eyes and fell in to a restful sleep.


	15. Chapter 15 apology

**sorry. i know I haven't been updating. i've been busy so I didn't have the time. thanks for the terrific reviews and enjoy this chapter. this chapter is in Bella's POV.**

**Disclaimer – all the characters except for the ones I made up belong to Stephenie Meyer and so do the books.**

At first, I didn't want to sleep. I didn't feel exhausted at all surprisingly. I had my eyes closed but I could feel Edward's gaze lingering on my face as he hovered over me. When the sleep in my eyes became more apparent, I was absolutely sure of several things. Edward was my guardian angel. The way he cared for me, made me feel as if I didn't deserve any of it. I was awestruck that such a wonderful creature like him could ever exist. I could see the clear agony in his communicative topaz eyes when he had found out that I had been poisoned. It burned a strange sensation in me that I couldn't quite comprehend.

At one point during my sleep, I had woken up. I looked around the room to see if I was alone. I knew I had no right to think of this but what if Edward had left me while I was asleep? It was an absurd thought but my mind couldn't help it.

Finally I noticed him, standing in front of the window, watching as the snow drifted peacefully to the ground. The winter wonder land would have seemed beautiful if it wasn't for the fact that there were people dying every where.

Edward was clearly thinking of some thing. He didn't seem to notice that I was watching him. His back was turned to me but I could see his face in the reflection of the window. The expression on his face was anguished. It seemed that he was having an internal battle with him self and he couldn't choose which side he was on. His face was so beautiful that I didn't know how long I stared at him but once again, sleep took over me.

I had a feeling that this was going to be my only chance at sleeping in a long time. I wasn't allowed to fall in to a deep sleep. What if I never woke up? The thought made me shudder unconsciously.

The night mare I'd had last night seemed very utterly silly to me today. I felt confident that Edward would never hurt me after all we had gone through. I knew my blood tempted him but I had bled all day and not once did he hurt me or even try to. I didn't have a night mare today. There were only pleasant thoughts.

When I woke up for the second time that day, I was sure that I didn't want to sleep any more. I wasn't tired at all. I felt completely restful. Edward was still standing in front of the window but was facing me now. He was leaning against the glass, with his arms folded across his chest as he stared at me intently. Even if his eyes were upset, a smile spread across his face. He walked over to me gracefully with inhuman speed and sat in the chair next to the bed that I hadn't noticed earlier.

"How was your sleep?" he asked.

"It was great. I slept amiably the whole time."

He chuckled softly and raised an eye brow. "Then was I imagining the girl who looked a lot like you watching me earlier?"

I blush rose up to my cheeks again. "No."

He turned smug. "I didn't think so."

"If you don't mind me asking what were you thinking when I was watching you? You looked upset."

His eyes flashed angrily and he leaned away from me. "It was nothing important. Don't worry about it."

I knew he was keeping some thing from me. It was some thing that made him feel uncomfortable. I knew he would tell me when he thought it was the right moment.

He stared at me for a few minutes as I watched a sad smile play on his face. His words surprised me. "I'm sorry."

I could feel the confusion on my face. "For what?"

"I'm sorry for putting you in so much danger. I hadn't meant that to happen at all. I thought I was keeping you safe but I realized that I was endangering your life every moment you were with me. I feel utterly despicable about all of this. It was my fault that you had drunk the poisoned water. If only I hadn't given it to you, you wouldn't be here. I'm also at fault for keeping you out side for so long. I should have kept you in the car with the heater running, not in front of a fire that wasn't keeping you warm at all. Instead I was worrying about gas."

He shook his head and then buried it in his hands. It hurt me to see him so tortured. He spoke his next words so fast that it was hard for me to keep up. He seemed so aggravated.

"It's because of me you have hypothermia. It's my fault that you've been bleeding and I couldn't help my self from thinking about your blood. I'm not strong enough to resist the temptation. The only things that are stopping me from killing you are the facts that I have to hold my breath and that I care about you a lot, Bella. I feel so disgusted with my self."

He looked up at me then. His penetrating eyes burned in to mine and hypnotized me. I couldn't look away.

His voice was as loud as a whisper now. "I thought I was keeping you so safe but it was my appearance in to your life that brought all of this danger. I shouldn't be near you. I'm the most dangerous thing out there for you. I didn't mean to cause any harm to you at all. It all just happened inadvertently. I'm sorry for bringing you so much pain and it would be quite fair if you were angry with me."

He stood up from the chair and I had to crane my neck to look at him. He stood there as still as a statue, waiting for my response.

I chose my words carefully. I didn't want to say any thing to him that I would regret saying later. I felt shocked. He wanted to take responsibility of every thing wrong that had happened to me. I didn't agree with any thing he had said at all. I didn't think it was his fault.

"Edward, I can't forgive you and you can't apologize for some thing that wasn't actually your fault. Any thing that happened to me was all caused by fate. This was all supposed to happen. You couldn't have expected for this not to happen. After what's been happening in Bergen, you can't really say that you were surprised to see all of this. I know you gave me poisoned water but you didn't know that there was poison in it. Also, I wanted to thank you for keeping me out in the cold. With out you, I would never have had hypothermia."

His angelic face was stunned but then he became angry. "Isabella, are you mocking my apology?"

I involuntarily shuddered from the look on his face. I had never seen him so mad before. "No. I didn't mean what you were thinking. I sincerely thank you for that. If it hadn't been for the hypothermia, the poison would have killed me."

His stance relaxed while his expression became baffled. "Fate? You're blaming all of this on fate?"

I nodded my head. I couldn't deny the fact that our choices were what caused our own fate. I had chosen to stay in a forest with a hostile vampire who was intent on keeping me safe. We didn't live in Utopia where some thing didn't go wrong at all. Fate was defying us during this time of crisis. May be, my bad luck and clumsiness had become more potent during these last two days. I would blame my self also. If only I had been more careful, none of this would have happened to me. Then again, I would have never met Edward. The only reason I was calm right now was all because of him.

"Bella, are you all right?" he asked frustrated.

"Yes, I'm fine."

He looked at me curiously as if he was trying to figure out the inner workings of my mind. The frustration in his eyes told me that he was not happy that he couldn't understand me.

"You're a puzzle to me," he murmured. It wasn't meant for me to hear.

At that moment, the closed door to the room opened. Dr. Desai stood there with a horrified expression on his face. It seemed he was very unhappy with what he was going to say next.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask both of you to leave."


	16. Chapter 16 departure

**sorry. i haven't had the time to update. enjoy this chapter. it's in Edward's POV.**

**Disclaimer – all the characters belong to the fantastic writer, Stephenie Meyer, except for the ones made up by me. Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse belong to her as well**

I gave Dr. Desai a puzzled look even if I knew what he was thinking. I couldn't blame him for thinking about his children's safety but I couldn't allow him to make Bella leave. She would die in the icy weather. The hypothermia that was making her unbearably weak would be out of control. Couldn't he think about her as if she was his daughter as well?

Bella stared at Dr. Desai with an unfathomable expression on her face. To me, she looked hurt.

I walked toward him and unconsciously unleashed the full force of my eyes in anger. I could feel them become darker. "Doctor, may I speak to you outside?"

He nodded his head and moved him self out of the door way so I would be able to get through. We walked away from the bed room so it wouldn't be hearing distance to Bella's ears.

Dr. Desai's expression was extremely apologetic. "I'm very sorry Edward. I can't let you or Bella stay here."

He looked down at the floor shamefully and hastily added, "It's nothing personal."

"Sir, why are you doing this?" I tried to sound as polite as possible but I could hear that my tone was slightly venomous.

"Edward, you have to understand that the only thing I want right now is my daughters' safety. I can't have you and Bella here to ruin that peace that me and the girls have here. Just before Bella fell asleep, I received a phone call from a friend. There are Norwegian troops going over to people's houses and are checking to make sure that none of the citizens have Russians hiding in their houses. They want IDs."

Understanding crossed my face. "They're willing to harm any one who doesn't have proof and any one linked to them, aren't they?" 

"Yes, and I'm sorry for that reason I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. I know that you returned to Bergen yesterday so you must have your ID but what about Bella? I can't think of a way to prove that Bella is indeed the US Ambassador's daughter."

"For all we know, there may be other Swans residing here in Bergen," I said gloomily.

Hastily, I changed the subject. "I can't take Bella out in weather like this. The circumstances may be effective enough to kill her. I promised her father, sir. I'm willing to leave but please let Bella stay."

He looked at me and sadly shook his head. "I'm very sorry Edward. I can't risk any thing."

I pleaded harder. "Please, sir. Keep her here at least until the hypothermia weakens or the weather isn't as dangerous."

Dr. Desai put a hand on my shoulder and sighed. "I can't do any thing to help her. If she stays here, we all will get hurt, especially her. I don't think you want that to happen."

He was right. I wouldn't be able to forgive my self if Bella got hurt. It would be inexcusable task for me to do so.

"Edward, I am not going to tell you to leave my house and give you no place to go."

He tried to lighten the mood. "I'm not that cruel."

I smiled wryly though there was no way to brighten my mood.

"There is a run down theatre about one block from here. It's next to the shoe store and will be a safe place for you to stay for a day or so. Make sure you both aren't seen by any one. Right now, my daughters are getting food for you and Bella. She's very weak right now and I don't want her to starve."

I tried to plaster a warm smile on my face but I could tell that it was unconvincing. "Thank you, doctor, for all of your help."

With that, I headed back in to the room. Bella was standing in front of the window. She had pulled the curtains away so that she could see the blizzard outside. The bed was made nicely as if there had been no one lying in it in the first place. She had her coat on and her scarf was folded around her neck, keeping her throat warm.

She heard the door creak open and turned around to face me with a melancholy smile on her face. My eyes lingered under her warm eyes and I noticed that there were dark rings under her eyes. I presumed they were from the stress she had been facing. She looked weaker than ever. She seemed extremely fragile and vulnerable as if one touch would cause her to break.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Is there some thing wrong?"

I decided that the truth would go better. "Bella, you look horribly breakable."

She sighed loudly. Her aroma hazed through my nose as I took it in. Bella ignored my statement. "Let's go."

She stepped around me and headed down stairs. She moved slowly and I made sure I stayed behind her to catch her if she fell.

Dr. Desai was standing at the bottom of the stair case. _ I hope she feels better soon. _

"How are you feeling now Bella?" he asked warmly.

Her feet stayed at the bottom of the last step as she gripped the rail tightly. Some sort of pain was coursing through her and she was trying very hard to fight it. She spoke after a moment while she tried to make her next words sound true and convincing. Dr. Desai also noticed.

"I'm feeling better. I appreciate all of your help."

He patted her shoulder. "I hope that you make a full recovery. I'm sure you will with Edward at your side."

Bella turned away from the doctor to face me. There was a slight redness to her cheeks. "I'm sure I will."

She pulled out gloves from her coat pocket and put them on. I pulled her hood over her head. I made sure that I was close enough to Bella to make sure she was all right but not close enough for her to feel the unnatural coolness emanating from me.

As we headed out the door, Ahana and Alliya came rushing over to us. They were both carrying a large, golden basket.

"Bella! Edward!" Alliya screamed.

_I hope she feels better soon. I feel terribly bad for her._

Ahana handed me the basket. "There is food for both of you in the basket. We put several bottles of water in there for you all as well. Don't worry. The bottles haven't been poisoned. We made sure of that. Also, there's medicine for Bella. Edward, make sure that she takes them. They'll help with her recovery greatly."

"Thank you every one."

Bella flashed them an appreciative grin. "Thanks."

"Don't worry. We'll all get passed this. After all, we are all human," Alliya said.

I involuntarily smiled at the irony of that statement. Bella and I exchanged glances and she laughed. There was an edge to her laughter.

"Good bye," Alliya, Ahana, and Dr. Desai waved.

We both glanced at them. I gripped the handle of the basket tightly and we both headed out in to the stormy weather that reflected my mood perfectly.


	17. Chapter 17 theater

**sorry this chapter is so short. i had to write it to build up the suspense. it's in Bella's POV.**

**Disclaimer – all the characters except for the ones made up by me belong to Stephenie Meyer. the books belong to her too.**

We both walked through the deserted street in silence. The funeral parades had ceased and the blood on the ground was covered by the snow falling. It was as if we were the only ones existing in this world now. I could feel Edward walking next to me. His gaze was on my face the entire time. It seemed to me that he was expecting me to fall. I could see the worry and the concern on his face.

It was colder outside than before. I had started to cough profusely and noticed that Edward tensed when ever I did. My hands felt numb and I could tell that my nose had become bloody red. I stuffed my gloved hands in to my coat pockets. My teeth unconsciously grounded together. I hated this weather.

The theater house wasn't very far from Dr. Desai's house but after we had left Bergen, I had no idea in what part of Norway we were in. It didn't look very run down. There were green pillars attached to the entrance. It was large and was made of red bricks. Cracked, rectangular windows covered the top of the building with stained glass in the front. The roof was shaped like a dome and was completely made out of dark glass. At the bottom of the building, the red bricks were crumbled. Edward held open the front door for me as we entered.

The inside was incredible and didn't look run down at all, merely abandoned. There were thick red curtains with golden laces covering each entrance of the theaters. The lights were dimly lit but the inside seemed dusty.

I felt instantly warm and relieved that the heaters in the building were still working. I pulled out my hands from my pockets and pulled off the gloves. I rubbed them together, trying to warm my frozen, red hands with the friction. Edward, hesitantly but firmly, grabbed a hold of my arm and led me to one of the theaters. There were many seats in the room. The only lights came from the stage lights. It was so large and I felt as if we both were being watched. A small chill ran down my spine.

Edward sat me on the stage and handed me the basket. I wondered why he didn't seat me in one of the seats but I supposed it was because it was impossible to see any thing from the seats.

"Eat." His tone was caustic.

I looked up at him to see what caused the change in his tone. He was looking around the theater with a wary expression. All of a sudden, we both heard the sound of some thing shattering. His face rove through the room to where the sound came from.

He didn't look at me as he spoke lowly. "Bella, don't say a word and just eat."

I obeyed the command immediately. I took out a jelly sandwich Alliya and Ahana had made for us and ate it silently. I felt a bit panicked but not very much with Edward at my side.

We heard another shatter. I jumped up as Edward flinched. He didn't look at me as he gently put a hand on my shoulder and pulled me down in to a seating position.

"Who ever is in here isn't trying very hard to be inconspicuous," he muttered.

After studying Edward for the past few days, I had the notion that he could read people's thoughts. I felt horrified by that idea. What if he was able to read mine? Later, I found out that the frustration that I could some times feel emanating from him was from the fact that he couldn't read my thoughts. May be, this was the same situation. Edward turned around and looked at me. The frustration and curiosity was back in his eyes. He was trying to read my thoughts.

We heard a soft tapping sound coming from backstage when suddenly, two figures emerged.


	18. Chapter 18 visitors

**enjoy this chapter. twenty days until Eclipse releases.**

**Disclaimer – all the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer except for the ones I made up. also, Twilight, New Moon, and the upcoming Eclipse is hers also.**

One of the figures ran so fast and so gracefully that it blurred. The other figure was tall and stood at the edge of the stage, watching the first figure run and hug Edward tightly. I couldn't tell who he was since his face was shadowed by the dimness in the room.

"Edward, I'm so glad you and Bella are all right," the first figure said as she hugged Edward even more tightly.

"Alice, calm down." Surprise was evident in Edward's voice.

The other figure walked out in to the light and I instantly realized that it was Jasper. He gave me a small smile as he walked over to pull Alice off of Edward. She ruffled his untidy hair before Jasper started to laugh quietly. Edward joined in with the laughter and ran his hand through his hair. I observed them very carefully. Their playfulness made me realize how much they all loved each other. For a moment, I had even forgotten that they were hostile vampires in a room with a weak, insignificant human.

"Alice, I think you're squeezing him enough to suffocate him," Jasper observed. "Also, it's not as if you haven't seen him in days."

Alice huffed and pulled her self away from Edward. She started to speak so fast that it mostly sounded like a hum. "That's exactly how I feel. Edward goes on a trip for about half a month. Then, he comes home and I don't get to see him because he's at the school. And then, I have this vision of Edward and Bella in the middle of the forest in the midst of the battle. If this was how I reacted, wait until Esme gets a hold of him."

I laughed at her small tirade. Alice noticed and looked up at me curiously. Then, she turned to Edward and gave him a smug smile. He met her eyes and glared but I thought I saw humor deep with in them. She turned her head back and looked at me hesitantly. Then before I could blink, she was running or dancing towards me and pulled me in to a giant embrace. Edward chuckled softly again and Jasper shook his head.

"There's too much of Alice's excitement in here," he murmured and I felt a calm wave go through me.

When she let me go, I watched Jasper approach Alice and put an arm around her shoulder. Edward was right behind him. They each had a grave expression on their faces except for Alice. She was giving me a slight smile, looking more like a pixie than before. Her size was so small that it made her self seem like an angel faced child.

All of a sudden, I was hyper aware of three vampires staring at me. I stared at them for an incredibly long minute before Edward broke the silence.

"Why don't you two introduce your selves to Bella? That would most certainly be the polite thing to do," he suggested.

"I'm sorry. You don't know who we are, do you? Or I guess you do, seeing that Jessica explained every thing about us in the cafeteria yesterday," Alice chimed. "Still, let us introduce ourselves properly. I'm Alice."

"I'm Jasper. I'm glad to meet you Bella." Jasper smiled at me then.

"Sorry about Alice's over enthusiasm. She tends to get herself carried away at times," Edward apologized.

Alice gave him a playful nudge on his shoulder. I didn't mind her enthusiasm at all. It seemed so natural for her. I liked her playfulness.

She took a step forward to me and I noticed Edward wince. "Wow. Edward was right. You do smell incredibly nice. It's very floral. No wonder he likes it."

I blushed furiously as Jasper tensed and made a small step towards me. Edward put a firm hand on his shoulder and restrained him from moving in any closer.

"It's really great to meet you two, also," I whispered shyly.

"It's about time she talked," said a booming voice that didn't belong to Alice, Jasper, or Edward.

I turned around reflexively to see where the voice came from. A large, big Emmett with a huge smile plastered on his face came bustling in to the theater through the front door. "I was starting to think that she couldn't speak."

I looked down and blushed even harder. Edward, Jasper, and Alice looked at Emmett in surprised shock.

"I didn't see you coming," Alice mumbled. "I saw you comforting Esme with Rosalie but I guess you changed your mind."

I raised one of my eye brows at Edward, curious to understand what Alice had meant by that statement. Then, I realized that may be, Edward's siblings didn't know that I knew about them.

Edward returned my gaze but asked Alice a question. "Alice, did you see me tell Bella about us?"

All the color that was left in Jasper's face vanished. Emmett looked utterly shocked but Alice nodded her head with an unreadable expression on her face.

Jasper stepped forward and put his hand on Edward's shoulder. "Edward? You know you're not allowed to let any one know about us. We can't risk exposure."

"Jasper, you have to understand this. It was inevitable after what Jacob Black told Bella."

Emmett looked furious. "Jacob Black? What was he doing in there?"

I didn't give Edward the chance to answer. It had been my fault and he was not going to get in to a fight with his family for some thing that wasn't his mistake. "He was heading off to the island of Aukura but heard me and Edward talking. When Edward went to find me some food, Jacob stepped out of the forest and accidentally told me that you all are vampires." It was hard for me to say the word.

"Accidentally?" Emmett asked in a bemused tone. "How can any one say some thing like that accidentally?"

"That dog needs to really think before he goes around saying some thing like that. I wonder how many other times he's slipped," Alice mused acidly.

I winced at the sound of her voice. The playful tone was completely gone. Jasper threw her a quick glance at the mention of the word "dog".

"Don't worry. Edward's told her about the werewolves."

He nodded slowly and then I felt a calm wave go through me again.

"I promise I won't tell any one."

I hoped that they could hear the sincerity in my weak voice. They could.

"Bella, we're trusting you with this," Jasper said gravely.

"Edward, you do know that once Rose finds out she's going to be furious with you, don't you?" Emmett chuckled.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Yes Emmett. I know."

"So Bella, how are you enjoying Bergen?" Emmett asked as if we had just been talking about a baseball game on TV.

I murmured, "I haven't been here long enough to see the entire city but I hate it right now."

Alice's chirpy laughter filled the room. "Wow, you're honest."

I smiled at the sound. It was so beautiful.

"Bella, you were going to ask me a question," Edward prompted.

"Oh, right. What did Alice mean when she said that she could 'see'?"

Jasper gave Edward a questioning glance and he nodded in answer.

"Bella, for creatures like us, there are special traits. We don't know why we have these traits but Carlisle has a theory. He believes that some of our most acute human traits are brought with us in to our next life. They get strengthened. Edward was probably sensitive to thoughts from people around him so he became a mind reader. Alice sort of had an insight in to the future so she became a seer. Rosalie brought her beauty while Emmett brought his strength. I was sensitive to people's emotions so now I can sort of control them."

He sighed and continued swiftly. "Esme brought her love and of course Carlisle brought is compassion."

I looked at the ground and thought about this. It seemed so strange to me but I surprised my self that I believed every thing he said. I thought a normal response would be that I should think of them as a completely strange group of people who were only trying to taunt me.

I glanced back at Jasper. "So when I was feeling calm, it was all because of your doing?"

He nodded with a small smile on his face.

"And it seems to me that Edward can't read my thoughts."

At that statement, Edward furrowed his eye brows while Emmett laughed loudly.

"No, I can't. I wonder why," Edward mused.

"Edward, this must be so frustrating for you," Emmett teased.

"Shut up, Emmett," Alice chimed in happily just as Edward punched him in the stomach.

I looked at him them in alarm. Alice winked at me. "Don't worry Bella. Edward will never be able to harm some one as strong as Emmett. Now, why don't you finish eating? You're still very sick."

With that, I watched them talk as I ate. They sat down lithely next to me and talked about Edward's trip. He apologized to Alice for giving up the clothes and she happily forgave him. They were shocked to hear that he had given up his Volvo to save me. I didn't catch every thing they were saying since they were talking in their vampire speed.

I smiled at the fact that I could say the word in my head with out being shy. It seemed so strange that the inhumanly beautiful family sitting in front of me were a group of vampires.


	19. Chapter 19 plan

**thanks to every one for reading. this story is almost over. there are only a few chapters left. ****Priestess Kohana****, you're right. i meant to say Mercedes but i said Volvo instead. sorry about that. Enjoy this chapter**

**Disclaimer - all the characters and books belong to the awesome Stephenie Meyer. only the characters made up by me don't belong to her.**

"What are you all doing here any way?" Edward asked. "I know Alice saw us arriving here but…"

"When Alice saw you all here, we thought that we would help Bella get to her father. Obviously you can't do this alone, Edward," Jasper said.

Edward raised his eye brows curiously at him. "Care to explain that? Am I not strong enough?"

I heard a small growl erupting from Jasper. I didn't understand why until Alice started to explain. "Come on Edward. Give him some credit. Jasper hasn't slipped in a long time since he's doing so well right now. He's trying very hard to control him self. He may not be as strong as you but he's doing considerably well for some one who changed his diet not too long ago."

Every one turned around to gauge my reaction at Alice's small speech. I understood completely. Jasper used to feast on humans and my blood was quite enticing to all of them. They had control of their temptations but Jasper was still new to this kind of diet. I was really glad that Dr. Desai and his daughters got the blood removed from my head. I shivered at the thought of what would happen if I was still covered with blood in front of this family.

They continued to stare at me probingly.

"Are you sure you can't hear her thoughts Edward?" Emmett asked.

Edward shook his head in frustration and I silently felt thankful that my mind was the only one he couldn't hear.

"Why are you frustrated? I usually tell you what I'm thinking and I really don't think you want to hear what I'm thinking."

He shook his head again and glared at me. "No. You're human. You don't always say what you're thinking. You do a bit of editing, don't you?"

"I don't do it very much." I replied acidly. It was my turn to glare.

It wasn't right to invade some one's privacy. I felt horrified at the thought if Edward could hear my every single thought.

Jasper, Emmett, and Alice watched us as we argued.

"Man, this is better than watching television."

Jasper playfully nudged Emmett in the ribs to get him to quiet down.

"Bella, I want to know every thing you're thinking. It makes me feel uncomfortable that you can resist my power. In all of my years of existence, I've never encountered some one like you." Edward's golden eyes became intense as he looked at me. There was a vulnerability there that I hadn't noticed before.

"You don't know how much it's bothered me."

His face was tortured and I couldn't bear to see him like this. He buried his head in his hands. I wanted to comfort him. I wanted to take away his pain but I didn't know how. At the moment, it felt me and Edward were the only ones existing, like there was no one else here except for us.

"I'm very sorry Edward."

His unexpected mood changed again as he turned his face to look at me. He seemed angry, very angry. "What you mean you're sorry? It's not as if you're purposely trying to block your thoughts from me. It's not as if you knew what my talent was from the moment I met you."

I could think of any thing to say to that comment. He just proved to me what I was trying very hard not to accept. I was a freak and it made me feel unhappy and embarrassed.

"Look at the human blush!" Emmett exclaimed.

Edward shot him a deathly glance as Jasper tensed again. There was a bit of panic on his face but I didn't feel the need to be afraid. All of their eyes were golden, meaning they weren't thirsty right now. If Jasper did try to attack me, I knew that his family would stop him. Even if I hadn't known them for very long, I completely trusted them.

"Sorry about that. It was involuntary," I apologized.

Alice's beautiful laughter chimed through out the whole room.

"Now that you two are done talking, can we get down to business?" Jasper asked.

Edward gave me a sly glance and then nodded his head. "Go on."

"There's a train station not too far from here. It's heading toward the other side of the city. If we can get ourselves on to it, we're going to be at the Ambassador's office in no time. Bella will be completely safe and out of harm's way. Carlisle will be able to inspect her there."

Edward shook his head. "No Alice. I can't do that. The weather outside is enough to kill Bella. I can't risk hurting her again. I've brought enough trouble as it is. If she doesn't die from the weather, then the guns and bombs will destroy her."

Jasper sighed. He seemed frustrated. "Look Edward. You have to listen to what Alice is saying. It's wintry weather outside. We can't let Bella stay here for another two months and you know that she needs to see a doctor soon. You know that we won't let any thing touch her, let alone a gun."

Emmett dug his large white hand in to his jacket pocket and pulled out a small card. "Alice you forgot this at home. Be thankful that I brought it or else there wouldn't have been any point to get Bella on to that train."

Before he could hand the card to Alice, Edward grabbed it. He studied the card briefly before a look of incredulity crossed his face. "You forged her ID?"

I felt my eyes go wide with shock. That was the last thing I expected. The US Ambassador's daughter was going to use a fake ID to get on to a train. Wow.

"What else could I have done? It wasn't as if I was going to sneak in to her house and look through her things to find her real ID. I wouldn't have had time for that."

Edward studied the card even more carefully. "How did you get a picture of her?"

Alice shrugged her shoulder. "I didn't get it. Jasper did."

He turned to face Jasper with a questioning look on his face. "When Alice asked me for her picture, I told Carlisle to get me one from the Ambassador. He had a few of pictures of his family and friends saved on to his office computer."

That was an unexpected bit of news that I had heard about Charlie.

Suddenly, Alice froze. She held up one finger and was as still as a statue. There was a faraway look in her eyes as her face became blank. We all watched her cautiously and I could tell that she was having a vision. When her finger began to shake, I knew her vision was over.

"Alice, what did you see?" Edward asked anxiously.

"Either way Edward, we're going to have to get Bella out of here and fast. In about one minute, there are going to be bombs dropped on to this theater house."

All the color that was left on Edward's face vanished completely. I could some how feel the hatred swelling from him and noticed a calm wave go through us. Edward relaxed and began to gather the basket. Alice helped me up and pulled me out of the room. I could feel Jasper and Emmett behind me as Edward led the way outside swiftly. It was too late, though. Before we could exit the front door, a crashing blow hit me at my right side.


	20. Chapter 20 the end

**i know that i haven't updated this story in almost a year now but i decided to finish it in order to have a peace of mind.**

**disclaimer- twilight, new moon, eclipse and the upcoming breaking dawn belong to stephenie meyer**

My eyes closed instinctively as I waited for the nausea to come but surprisingly it never came

My eyes closed instinctively as I waited for the nausea to come but surprisingly it never came. The terror in Edward's eyes morphed in to relief and he heaved a huge sigh. I could still feel my shoulder stinging though.

"You were lucky this time," he told me with a chuckle. "I don't think neither Jasper nor I could have handled your blood again."

I rubbed my shoulder trying to get the pain to subside but it hurt too much.

Alice turned around to face me. "Bella, are you all right?"

"Yes," I whispered hoarsely. The word was the truth.

It didn't matter that my shoulder was strained. What did matter to me though was the fact that the bombs were still being dropped on to the building and we were still inside of it.

A huge wave of dust and glass shot across the room heading straight in our direction. Edward shielded me before I could be pierced with the shards. He whispered some thing under his breath and I thought I caught the word 'magnet'.

"I think it would be a great idea if we head outside right now," Emmett suggested.

Jasper laughed while Alice answered. "That's the best idea you've had all day."

Emmett grinned making me wonder if he was always this reckless or if he feared any thing at all. Edward just nodded his head grimly trying very hard not to see the humor in our situation.

Again, we started heading back outside. It was hard with so many things strewn across the floor but we finally managed it before another bomb could fall. I was outside with out too many injuries.

I immediately felt the cold air with the moisture clinging on to my face. It soothed me somewhat but I couldn't get rid of the pain on my shoulder. The road was in ruins. In every corner I looked, previously untouched buildings were ramshackle now. I wondered whether if people had been inside and if they had, did they make it out okay but there was no one around us. It was as if we were the only people existing. I suddenly felt anxious about Charlie and Marit, hoping that they were fine and hadn't been apart of the damage. That was inevitable though. By now, the destruction should have reached them. I rubbed my shoulder again.

As we made our way through the silent street, I caught Edward watching me from the corner of his eyes. There was so much pain on his beautiful face that I couldn't help but get the feeling to comfort him.

"Bella," he whispered.

Alice, Jasper and Emmett stepped away from us to give us some privacy. They meaningfully ignored us.

"Bella," Edward whispered again as he tucked a strand of my hair behind my shoulder. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

I was shaking my head before he even finished. "No it's not. I just have a gift of attracting danger. That's all."

Edward smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes, you are the ideal epitome of danger magnet and please stop putting so much stress on your shoulder. It'll start to bruise."

I nodded my head and numbly removed my hand away. We walked silently side by side but I caught him staring several times in my direction with a look in his eyes that I couldn't understand at all.

I wrapped my coat around me tightly as a gust of wind blew in our direction. Edward stiffened next to me and I thought about how much pain I was putting him through. I knew that my blood called to him, that it was the sweetest blood he had ever smelled. I knew I was in grave danger right now with four vampires near me but I didn't feel afraid at all. Maybe it was because I knew that they wouldn't ever hurt me. Somehow through all of this, I had managed to become friends with four vampires who I appealed to. Edward was right. I was the epitome of a danger magnet.

"I'm really sorry Edward," I told him.

He turned to face me with anger and confusion in his eyes. I knew immediately that the anger was not directed towards me. It was for the monster that was slowly gaining power inside of him. "For what?"

"It's all my fault that you're in so much pain."

Realization flickered across his face. "Never be sorry for what isn't ever going to be your fault, Bella. I can't stand it knowing that you feel disgusted with yourself for putting me through the misery that I owe myself. I feel so hideous knowing that you feel that way."

I didn't answer him because I couldn't. There in front of me was a pile of bricks and under the bricks was a visible bloody hand. Almost immediately the tears started to fall from my eyes not in grief but in anger. So many innocent people were losing their lives over something that wasn't their mistake. I felt so terrible.

Edward pulled me to him and brushed my cheek comfortingly. "Bella, it's alright. Death is not avoidable during times of war. I'm so sorry you had to see that."

He pulled me with him quickly but I couldn't get rid of the image from my head. "So many people," I whispered.

"I really wish you hadn't had to see that. Bella it will get a lot worse but I know that you'll be able to cope."

A phone rang behind me. I jumped in surprise. Edward turned around and looked at Alice in shock.

She opened the phone and put it to her ear. "Esme? What? Where? You're not kidding are you? We'll be there as soon as possible."

"Alice," Edward said in a strained voice.

I looked between the two of them along with Jasper and Emmett, feeling utterly confused.

"We have to make it to the airport," Alice explained.

Jasper spoke. "Why? What's going on?"

"They're evacuating the Americans back to the US since it's too dangerous for them and they have nothing to do with the war. But the Russians would be quite happy to get revenge on the Americans from the time of the Cold War. Charlie made the decision and he's hoping that Bella and the rest of us will be make it to the plane on time."

Jasper and Emmett nodded but I didn't know how we were going to make it back to the airport.

"When will the plane take flight?" I asked.

"In about ten minutes," Alice answered without any concern.

Edward turned to me. "Don't worry how we'll make it three, Bella. We've got plenty of time."

With that, I was suddenly on his back.

"I apologize for what I'm about to do. " Edward smiled.

I gave him a look with questions in my eyes but he didn't answer me. Instead he started running.

"Close your eyes!" he yelled over the wind racing through us.

My hair was violently whipped away from my face. I felt the cold air freezing my face and so I couldn't close my eyes. If I was scared before, then it wasn't close at all to what I was feeling right now. I could barely see where we were going. The buildings all became a blur. Fleetingly, I wondered how fast Edward was running. I wanted to see if Emmett, Alice and Jasper were running along behind us but I didn't dare turn my face.

For the first time, I felt a wave of motion sickness and some what nauseous. It didn't have anything to do with blood. Before long though, Edward had stopped and the world was still again around me.

I could faintly hear the noise of shuffling feet when Edward pulled me off of him.

"Do you forgive me?" he asked.

"Yes but please don't ever do that again."

He chuckled when all of a sudden, I felt two pairs of arms tugging at me and pull me in to warm embraces. Edward chuckled again.

"Bella! We're so glad that you're okay," Charlie said to me. Relief was prominent in his eyes. He turned to Edward then. "Son, how can I ever thank you and your family for bringing Bella home?"

Edward gave him a kind smile. "Actually, I was hoping that she could see Carlisle as soon as possible. She's not completely unscathed."

When Charlie didn't say anything, Edward added, "She hurt her shoulder and she has hypothermia."

The point was made clear when I started to cough.

"Okay, okay," Marit answered. "He's on the plane but we'll get him to look at her injuries when we're on the plane."

I realized something when Marit said 'we'. "You're coming with us?"

"Yes. When I told your father that I couldn't leave my home, he wouldn't even hear of it. He told me my home was long gone and I would get the chance to return when things started to revive."

"That's fantastic Marit," I told her sincerely.

Marit and Charlie hugged me again and then all of us started heading towards the plane. There were so many Americans on there and I wondered if all of them had come or if some of them were still willing to stay. I felt the tears in my eyes when I thought about the ones that wouldn't ever be able to leave, ones that had fought for their lives but instead ended up losing them.

Edward smiled at me as I made my way to Carlisle. After he checked me and reassured Charlie that I would be fine for the whole flight if I was covered in a blanket and with someone that could take care of me, Charlie thanked him. Edward however, thought it would be a good idea to admit me into a hospital as soon as we touched American soil. Charlie and Carlisle couldn't agree with him more. I rolled my eyes stealthily.

I sat in my seat with a wool blanket wrapped tightly around me. It hadn't taken me long to realize that it would be Edward who would volunteer to take care of me.

"Bella, where are you from?" Edward asked me quietly.

"Originally, I'm from Forks, Washington but I moved to Phoenix, Arizona with my mother later on but I'm thinking that I'm going to move back in with Charlie to give Renee some peace of mind. Phil, her new husband, makes her happy but with my being there, I'm limiting them from their happiness," I told him glumly.

I was feeling unhappy. When we both returned to the United States, I wouldn't be able to see him anymore. He would go his way and I would go mine.

He stared at me with the same look I couldn't understand back in his eyes smoldering at me. I was feeling self conscious.

"What?" I asked as the blood rushed up to my cheeks.

"I've never met anyone like you before Bella. You put everyone in your life first before your self and that amazes me." He sighed, noticing that my blush had deepened. "I wish there were more people like you in the world but sadly you're a part of the rare few."

'Thanks," I said. I couldn't think of any other proper response.

"So you're moving back to Forks with Charlie?" he asked in a matter of fact tone.

"Yes," I answered.

His mood shifted to one of complete happiness. "Perhaps you and I could hang out sometime."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He laughed at my expression quietly.

"I'm a resident of Forks as well."

I couldn't believe I had heard those words.

"Really?" I asked excitedly.

He chuckled at my expression and nodded. I felt giddy almost. He brushed his glove covered fingers across my cheeks leaving a burning sensation.

"This will be the start of a beautiful friendship," he whispered.

I nodded, unable to say any words. Fate had a way of working in strange ways.


End file.
